The San Francisco call., 1899-10-31

Martelli who had always been patrons
and lovers of art. AT any rate, brought
up amid the artistic surroundings in the
establishment of this cultivated family,
1t is probable that he imbibed good taste
and love for the best things. AS to mis-
masters there is much doubt, and they
are altogether a matter of speculation.
He is said to have been a pupil of Bacci
di Lorenzo and to have studied with the
father of the famous Ghiberti, but of this
there is 40 proof. It is certain that he
assisted the great Ghiberti in casting the
marvellous bronze gates for the Baptistry
in Florence and that he was an intimate
of Filippo Brunellesco, who, though some
ten years older that Donatello, found the
latter companionable.
1t was to this man Brunellesco that Don
ateIlo brought one of his first efforts,
crucifx carved in wood which did not
meet with approval, for the Older man
remarked that the lad had crucified a con-
tadino-the Italian for countryman or
mountaineering that he had missed en-
tirely the significance of the figure of
Christ At this Donatello was enraged
and in a fit of boyish anger ADVISED Bru-
neIlesco to go and do better. This Bru-
nellesco was able to do and, having fin
ished a similar subject, he invited Dona-
tello to come and see it. The boy stopped
on his way from market, his hands full
of supplies, and at sight of the master
piece he was overcome with emotion, let
ting drop his eggs and cheese. Looking
at the exquisite work he exclaimed: To
thee it is given to sculpture a Christ;
can only make peasants" However, with
this man Donatello made a pilgrimage TO
Rome and profited by his comradeship
On his return to Florence, in 1905, he en-
tered the crowded studio of Ghiberti, do
ing much independent work, and for seven
or eight years he devoted himself to max
ing large statues, many OF which nave
achieved worldwide fame. He did his IA
nous David for the Duomo, or Cathe-
dra1 of Santa Maria del Fiore, the author
tiles of which gave him many commits
sions which included a Daniel,
Joshua" and an old man. He did like
wise "St. John Evangelist" for the IA
cade and he collaborated with Brunei
lesco on a statue of marble covered with
giIded lead. The guilds of Florence at
this time were great patrons of art, and
each strove to outdo the other in patri-
otie gifts to the city, employing the first
artists in the work. The Guild of Armor-
ers commissioned Donatello to make a
statue for the Church of Or San Michele.
His work was the famous Saint George,
and in this he succeeded to a remarkable
| degree in combining nobility OF form,
youth, simplicity, pfoportlon ana llcLHess
! of decoration. The statue stands to-day as
the accepted type of the church militant.
There followed the well-known marble
"Dayid." a delicate figure that is mar
velcus conception of power in apparent
| weakness.
Donatello did much work for the cathe-
dral and the Campanile, and executed
many private commissions for various i'm
portant pat7ons, including a marble lion
for the staircase of the Popes house in
Santa Maria Novella. After this he exc
cuted an important series of tombs, be-
ginning with that of Pope John XIII, in
the Baptistry in Florence. a serious de-
sign, partly in bronze and partly in mar
BILE In 1928 he was employed by Cosimo
and Lorenzo de Medici to erect a sepul-
chral monument for their father and
mother in the sacristy of San Lorenzo,
and AragaZzi, secretary TO Pope Martin
V, ordered tomb for himself, which is
said TO have been a masterpiece, although
now it is dismembered and dispersed
about the church. He went to Rome for
the second time in 1433, and did very much
work there, including a statue of st
John the Baptist" for S. Giovanni in La
| terano, bust for the Church of S. Maria