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(1386-1466)

Who Was Donatello?

Sculptor Donatello apprenticed early with well-known sculptors and quickly learned the Gothic style. Before he was 20, he was receiving commissions for his work.

Over his career, he developed a style of lifelike, highly emotional sculptures and a reputation second only to Michelangelo's.

Early Life

Donatello was born Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi in Florence, Italy, sometime in 1386.

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His friends and family gave him the nickname “Donatello.” He was the son of Niccolo di Betto Bardi, a member of the Florentine Wool Combers Guild. This gave young Donatello status as the son of a craftsman and placed him on a path of working in the trades.

Donatello was educated at the home of the Martelli's, a wealthy and influential Florentine family of bankers and art patrons closely tied to the Medici family. It was here that Donatello probably first received artistic training from a local goldsmith.

He learned metallurgy and the fabrication of me