Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 06.djvu/445

* DONALITIUS. 383 DONATELLO. DONALITIUS, doD'a-lIshl-us. Christian (17U-S0). A Lithuanian poet. He was born in East Prussia, and, tlirw Vfars at'liT his -.'radua- tion at Kiinigsberj;. was appointed rector at Stal- lupiinen. He died at Tolniinkcinen, where he had obtained a pastorate in 1743. His poems enjoy high rank among the very meagre ])roduct3 of artistic verse in the Lithuanian language. They include six fables in hexameters. Dona- litius's works were published by Schleicher ( IStjo. with Lithuanian-Clerman commentary); and Xcsselmann ( lS(i9, with a German transla- tion and a glossary). DO'NAR. Teutonic equivalent of the Scan- dinavian Tlior. DON ATELT,0, ur DONATO, d6-na'td (c.l3SG-14ijO). An Italian sculptor of the Florentine School. He was the most impor- tant sculptor of the early Renaissance, and, more than any other, may be considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was bom at Florence, probably in 1380. His father, Xiccnlo di Betto Bardi, a wool-comber, was an .ardent politician, who passed much of his life in exile. Donato is said to have been brought up in the house of the wealthy and cul- tured Martelli, but this is unlikely, since the Martelli belonged to the party hostile to his father. Authorities differ as to whether his master in sculpture was Bicei di Lorenzo, Cione, the father of Ghiberti, or Xiccolo d'Arezzo, but the question is of little importance in relation to an artist whose work was as original and as revolutionary as Donatello's. He certainly re- ceived great inspiration from his friendship with Brunelleschi (q.v. ), the architect. In 1403 they went to Rome together, supporting them- selves as goldsmiths while they studied and ex- cavated among the mins. Donatello not only studied the antique statues, but learned the secrets of ancient relief and perspective in sculp- ture. He was back in Florence by 1405. Donatello was the most prolific sculptor of the Renaissance, and it will be possible to mention only his principal works. Those executed before 142.5 belong to what may be called his formative period, in which he shows strong reminiscences of the Gothic, but with increasing classical and realistic tendencies. Among his early works showing the antique influence is a sandstone relief of the "Annunciation." in the Cavalcanti Chapel, Santa Croce. Florence. It would be hard to conceive of anything more beautiful than the modest, grateful expression of the Virgin's countenance. Of his three marble statues for the exterior of the Church of Or San Michele. "Saint Peter," ordered in 1408 by the Butchers' Guild, shows hesitancy in execution and Gothic reminiscences: "Saint Mark," executed in 1411- 12 for the Linen Drapers, is more classic — an admirable figure of noble proportions in an easy position, and set off with graceful drapery: "Saint George," completed in 141fi for the .Ar- morers, now in the Museo Xazionale, is the most attractive work of his early period. The face of the youthful hero is strong and gentle: his bear- ing expresses determination, hut without con- straint. During the same period Donatello was occu- pied with a number of statues for the Cathedral of Florence. Among these were ".Tohn the Kvan- celist" (1415), the prototype of Michelangelo's "Closes," and a colossal "David" (1416), now in the Museo Xazionale. These works abowed classical tendencies, but at the same time he created otiiers of a pronounced realistic charac- ter, as, for example, the so-called "Joshua" (1412), in the Cathedral, and especially the fig- ures for the Campanile, the ""Jeremiah," and the famous ""Zuccone" (Baldhead), erroneously called "'David" — an old man of unusual ugliness, though the statue is wonderfully strong and life- like, and was Donatello's favorite. Both this statue and tlie painted bust of Xiccolo da Uzzano, a realistic portrait, now in the Museo Xazionale, are assigned by some critics to a later period. Meanwhile Donatello's fame had spread throughout Italy, and he could no longer execute his commissions alone. In 1425 he formed an association with the architect and sculptor ilichelozzo, and this date marks the beginning of his second period. Michelozzo furnished the architectural designs, and also assisted in bronze- casting, in which his associate was inexperienced. Their first joint work was the monument to Pope John XXlil. (I425-I426), in the baptistery of Florence. Under a marble canopy, with a relief of the "Madonna and Child," lies the bronze effigy of the Pope, by Donatello. Below is the sarcophagus, caned with two angels bearing the inscription. The beautiful marble base con- tains three statues, '"Faith," '"Hope," and "Char- ity," of which the first is by ilichelozzo. Of their other joint works, the monument of Car- dinal Brancacci, in San Angelo. Xaples, and that of Bartolomeo Arazzi, in the Cathedral of ilonte- pulciano, were chiefly done by Michelozzo (q.v.). The excellent relief of the '"Ascension," of the former, is by Donatello. He also executed other bronze works, which Michelozzo east for liim: in 1426 a sepulchral slab for the Bishop of Gros- seto, in the Cathedral of Siena, and in 1427 a relief for the font of the baptistery there, representing "Herod Receiving the Head of John the Baptist'' — a vivid representation of dramatic action. His association with Michelozzo ceased when the latter accompanied the banished Cosi- mo de' ilediei to Venice in 1433. In the same year Donatello went to Rome, at the invitation of the sculptor Simone, whom he assisted in the decorations for the coronation of the Emperor Sigismund. The works executed during his stay at Rome show a greater than usual influence of classic art upon him. Chief among them is the Ciborium in the sacristy of Saint Peter, decorated with reliefs of two "Wor- shiping Angels," and a fine "Burial of Christ." Meanwhile, in 1434, his friend Cosinio de' Medici had returned in triumph to Florence, and Dona- tello returned about the same time. He was employed in decorating the court of the Medici Palace with eight medallions — copies of antique gems — which were executed by his pupils, .bout the same time he designed his bronze "David" for Cosimo — a beautiful statue, breathing the spirit of the antique more than any other work of the master — and the first nude statue of the Renaissance. ".Judith and Holofernes." now in the Loggia dei Lanzi — a piece of fine realism, although its effect is somewhat marred by Holo- fernes's legs dangling over the pedestal. Between 1434 and 1438 he executed the ex- terior pulpit of the Cathedral of Prato. the reliefs of which, representing "Dancing .Angels," are of a lively, decorative effect, and were de-