Donatello's ''Saint Mark'' (1411–1413) is a marble statue that stands approximately seven feet and nine inches high and is displayed in the museum of the

Orsanmichele Orsanmichele (; "Kitchen Garden of St. Michael", from the Tuscan contraction of the Italian word ''orto'') is a church in the Italian city of Florence. The building was constructed on the site of the kitchen garden of the monastery of San Michel ...

church,

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

. It originally was displayed in an exterior niche of the church, where a copy now stands.

Donatello Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi ( – 13 December 1466), better known as Donatello ( ), was a Republic of Florence, Florentine sculptor of the Renaissance period. Born in Republic of Florence, Florence, he studied classical sculpture and use ...

was commissioned by the linen weavers' guild to complete three pieces for the project. '' St. Mark'' was the first of his contributions. The niche itself was not of Donatello's hand, but created most probably by two stone carvers named Perfetto di Giovanni and Albizzo di Pietro.

Sculpture

Donatello's sculpture is notable for its detailed realism, evidence of the artist's skills. Even the veins of St. Mark's left hand are visible as he holds a text upon his hip. Contrapposto or ''natural pose'', is used with Donatello's ''St. Mark.'' The saint has more weight on his right leg, his left knee is bent, and his torso is slightly twisted. The style is much more naturalistic than the symmetry and unrealistic nature of art from the Dark Ages. Also Donatello's sculpture differs from medieval works in the way that drapery is used, specifically in that St. Mark's figure is revealed by a realistic draping of linen. According to Renaissance scholar Gene A. Brucker, Donatello's statue of St. Mark "is generally recognized as the first Renaissance monument." (''Renaissance Florence'', 244)

Proportions

According to

Vasari Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculpt ...

's text ''

The Lives of the Artists ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'' ( it, Le vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori, e architettori), often simply known as ''The Lives'' ( it, Le Vite), is a series of artist biographies written by 16th-ce ...

'', written 140 years after the completion of ''St. Mark'', the linen workers' guild originally rejected the sculpture because it appeared unnatural when set at street level. This was due to proportion adjustments made for its final resting place in the niche, well above street level. The head and torso were made larger as they would be further away from the viewer. Orsanmichele-sud

Donatello promised to make adjustments, so he covered the statue with a cloth, set the statue in the niche above the street, and without touching the statue for 15 days, once again revealed it to the guild. With its location above the viewer, the proportions looked perfect and the linen weaver's guild accepted the statue.

Sources

*USAD – Art Resource Guide *http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/orsanmichele/orsanmichele.html *Giorgio Vasari, ''The Lives of the Artists'', 1550

References

In the early pages of Irving Stone's ''The Agony and the Ecstasy'' Michelangelo walks by Donatello's statue of ''St. Mark'' and exclaims "Sculpture is the greatest art!"

External links

Donatello, ''Saint Mark''

Smarthistory Smarthistory is a free resource for the study of art history created by art historians Beth Harris and Steven Zucker. Smarthistory is an independent not-for-profit organization and the official partner to Khan Academy for art history. Smarthisto ...

{{coord, 43, 46, 14, N, 11, 15, 17, E, region:IT_type:landmark_source:kolossus-itwiki, display=title 1413 works Sculptures by Donatello Marble sculptures in Italy

Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

Outdoor sculptures in Florence Sculptures depicting New Testament people