Renaissance sculpture originated in Florence in the 15th century and
was deeply influenced by ancient Roman sculpture.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE [ edit ]
Identify the impetus behind the sculptural output in 15th century Florence, its major exponents,
and their best known works
KEY POINTS [ edit ]
Renaissance sculpture proper is often taken to begin with the famous competition for the doors of
the Florence baptistry in 1403, which was won by Lorenzo Ghiberti.
Ghiberti designed a set of doors for the competition, housed in the northern entrance, and
another more splendid pair for the eastern entrance, named the Gates of Paradise. Both these
gates depict biblical scenes.
Ghiberti set up a large workship in which many famous Florentine sculptors and artists were
trained. He reinvented the lost-wax casting of bronze, a technique which had been used by the
ancient Romans and subsequently lost.
Donatello created his bronze David for Cosimo de' Medici. Conceived independent of any
architectural surroundings, it was the first known free-standing nude statue produced
sinceantiquity.
The period was marked by a great increase in patronage of sculpture by the state for public art
and by the wealthy for their homes.Public sculpture became a crucial element in the appearance
of historic city centers, and portrait sculpture, particularly busts, became hugely popular in
Florence.
TERMS [ edit ]
baptistry
A designated space within a church, or a separate room or building associated with a church,
where a baptismal font is located, and consequently, where the sacrament of Christian baptism
(via aspersion or affusion) is performed.
allegory
The representation of abstract principles by characters or figures.
lost wax
A method of casting a sculpture in which a model of the sculpture is made from wax: the model is
used to make a mould; when the mould has set, the wax is made to melt and is poured away,
leaving the mould ready to be used to cast the sculpture.
Give us feedback on this content: FULL TEXT [edit ]
Commonly known as "the cradle of
theRenaissance," 15th-century Florence
was among the largest and richest cities in
Europe and its wealthiest residents were
enthusiastic patrons of the arts,
particularly sculpture. Departing from the
International Gothic style that had
previously dominated in Italy, and
drawing from the styles
ofclassical antiquity, Renaissance
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sculpture originated in Florence and was self-consciously influenced by ancient Roman
sculpture.
Lorenzo Ghiberti
Renaissance sculpture proper is often taken to begin with the famous competition for the
doors of the Florence baptistry in 1403, from which the trial models submitted by the winner,
Lorenzo Ghiberti, and the runner up, Filippo Brunelleschi, still survive.
Ghiberti's bronze doors consist of 28 panels depicting scenes from the life of Christ, the four
evangelists, and the Church Fathers Saints Ambrose, Jeromy, Gregory, and Augustine. They
took 21 years to complete and still stand at the northern entrance of the baptistry, although
they are eclipsed by the splendor of his second pair of gates for the eastern entrance, which
Michelangelo dubbed "the gates of paradise. " These new doors were commissioned in 1425
and built over a 27-year period. They consist of ten rectangular panels, depicting scenes from
the Old Testament and employ a clever use of the recently discovered principles
of perspective to add depth to thecomposition. They are surrounded by a richly
decorated giltframework of fruit and foliage, statuettes of prophets, and busts of the sculptor
and his father .
Gates of Paradise, Florence Baptistry
Ghiberti's gates representing scenes from the Old Testament at the eastern entrance of the Baptistry.
In order to carry out these huge commissions, Ghiberti set up a large workship in which
many famous Florentine sculptors and artists trained in later years, including Donatello,
Michelozzo, and Paolo Uccello. He reinvented the lost wax casting of bronze, a technique
which had been used by the ancient Romans and subsequently lost. This made his workshop
particularly famous and was a great draw for aspiring artists.
Donatello
Another deeply influential sculptor from Florence was Donatello (1386 - 1466) , who is best
known for his work in bas-relief, a form of shallow relief that he used as a medium for the
incorporation of significant 15th century sculptural developments in perspectival illusion.
Donatello received his early artistic training in a goldsmith's workshop and then trained
briefly in Ghiberti's studio before undertaking a trip toRome with Filippo Brunelleschi, where
he undertook the study and excavation of Roman architecture and sculpture. Roman art
became the single most important influence on Donatello's work. His foremost sponsor in
Florence was Cosimo de'Medici, the city's foremost patron of art. Donatello created his
bronze David for Cosimo's court in the Palazzo Medici. Conceived entirely in the round and
independent of any architectural surroundings, it was the first known free-standing nude
statue produced since antiquity and represented an allegory of civic virtues overcoming
brutality and ignorance. This sculpture represented a particularly important development in
Renaissance sculpture; namely the production of sculpture independent of architecture
unlike the preceding International Gothic style where sculpture rarely existed independent of
architecture .
David by Donatello
Donatello's genius made him an important figure in the early Italian Renaissance period. Sculpted
between 1430­32, his bronze David is an example of his mature work. It is currently located in the
Bargello Palace and Museum.
Donatello's other important projects in and near Florence include the marble pulpit of
the facade of the Prato cathedral, the carved Cantoria or choir at the Florence Duomo, which
was influenced by ancient sarcophagi and Byzantine ivory chests, the Annunciation scene for
the Cavalcanti altar in the church of Santa Croce, and a bust of a Young Man with a Cameo,
the first example of a lay bust portrait since the classical era.
The period was marked by a great increase in patronage of sculpture by the state for public
art and by the wealthy for their homes. Public sculpture became a crucial element in the
appearance of historic city centers, and portrait sculpture, particularly busts, became hugely
popular in Florence following Donatello's innovations. These 15th-century innovations soon
spread throughout Italy and later through the rest of Europe.