There are many factors on why Donatello’s St. Mark is very important and different than other commissioned statues at the time. The David, originally intended for the cathedral, was moved in 1416 to the Palazzo Vecchio,… ( Log Out /  The larger-than-life-size figure is given a sense of movement by having the torso twist away from the lower body ( contrapposto ) while the folds of St. Mark’s right leg are carved in such straight perpendicular lines that they remind of a classical column . The contract indicated that the work had to be finished and in its place no later than November 1, 1412; however, as was often the case at the time, the deadline had to be extended. 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 church, Florence. 1417) in the Orsanmichele msueum, Florence; the graceful figure of young David (ca. St. Mark was the first of his contributions. Other of Donatello’s early works which were still partly gothic are the impressive seated marble figure of St. John the Evangelist for the cathedral and a wooden crucifix in the church of Sta. The St. Mark broke with tradition in its classical stance and became a stunning symbolic portrait of a noble Florentine hero in the republic of Donatello's day. Orsanmichele, Florence (Living With Art - 10/e (PDF) 393) The statue of St. Mark was commissioned by the linen guild in Florence whose patron was St. Mark. This naturalistic style was infrequently employed until Donatello's more realistic statues became in vogue during the Renaissance. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Contrapposto = a naturalistic way of portraying the human from in relaxed elements that gives the figure an easy, natural gracefulness. Donatello's Saint Mark is a marble statue that stands approximately seven feet and nine inches high and is displayed in the museum of the Orsanmichele church, Florence. As a result, the statue is of marble, as they were not entitled to have a bronze statue, reserved only for the Arti Maggiori. Prophet (originally placed above the Porta della Mandorla ), marble, by Donatello, 1406-1408, 1.31 m height ( Museo dell’Opera del Duomo , Florence). Like the statue of St. Mark, the statue of St. George was destined for the guild’s niche in the building of Orsanmichele.. Because the guild was of average size, it could only afford a statue of marble, rather than of bronze. 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. St. Mark’s head is very disproportionate to the rest the body. From this perspective, the viewers would see more of the detailed and poised face of St. Mark while appreciating the birth of the italian renaissance to come. Donatello’s Saint Mark. With its location above the viewer, the proportions looked perfect and the linen weaver's guild accepted the statue. In this case, the marble statue is carved as standing on a linen pillow which indicates that St. Mark was commissioned by the linen weavers’ guild. Donatello, Saint Mark, 1411-13, marble, 93 inches / 236 cm (Orsanmichele, Florence) (photo: courtesy Dr. Sarah Wilkins) This over-life-size marble, carved from a single, shallow block of stone, portrays the evangelist Saint Mark standing on a pillow, holding a book in his left hand, staring intently into the distance. This creates an illusion of the statue to have weight and flow which is eye catching compared to other works during the early 15th century. The piece is carved from marble and is a large tribute that stands at 93 inches tall. The statue of St. Mark was commissioned by the linen guild, one of the poorer guilds in Florence whose patron was St. Mark. It originally was displayed in an exterior niche of the church, where a copy now stands. They decided to hire the sculptor Donatello for the commission, who created a larger than life-size work (it is 7’9” tall). The Magdalen statue was sculpted in wood, and painted. The saint has more weight on his right leg, his left knee is bent, and his torso is slightly twisted. Around 1415 Donatello's full range as an artist began to emerge in two marble statues completed in the same year. 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. In order to save it, the statue was removed from its Tabernacle, and relocated to that of the … ( Log Out /  Donatello carved his statue of St. George for the guild of armorers and swordmakers in Florence. or natural pose, is used with Donatello's St. Mark. Artist were reviving and adapting greek and roman understanding of art and sculptures many centuries before (classical revival) and exploring new boundaries of beauty. 1411–13.Marble, height 7'9". Donatello brought in the uniqueness of the St. Mark statue by use of marble thus making it a distinct statue ever created with the ability to overwhelm viewers with its power and expressiveness. Completed on the exterior of the Orsanmichele, the statue of St. Mark stands 93 inch (236 cm) tall, overlooking the people at the heart of Venice. Supposedly, when the patrons first saw the statue standing on the ground they were displeased with it, but Donatello convinced them to let him install it in its niche, where he would finish working on it. Slight curve to the body by shifting St. Mark’s hip to the right and the bent forward left knee. Donatello, St. Mark, 1411-13, marble, 93" (236 cm), Orsanmichele, Florence Speakers: Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris In 1411, Donatello was chosen by the linen drapers guild to sculpt St. Mark as its niche decoration. This was due to proportion adjustments made for its final resting place in the niche, well above street level. He apparently received his early artistic training in a goldsmith's workshop, [citation needed] and then worked briefly in the studio of Lorenzo Ghiberti. This was intentional because Donatello understood that the viewers will have to look up to view his statue. Marble Statue Finished 1413 Resides at Orsanmichele church http://culturedart.blogspot.com/2010/12/st-mark-donatello.html Donatello, St. Mark (quiz) Google Classroom Facebook Twitter. Donatello, St Mark for the niche of the Linen Workers' Guild at Orsanmichele, 1411-14, Marble, 2.6m, Museo di Or San Michele, Florence, is a marble statue that stands approximately seven feet and nine inches high in an exterior niche of theOrsanmichele church,Florence. David First Version Artist Donatello Year 1408-1409 Medium Marble Location Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence Height 191 cm David Second Version Artist Donatello Year c. 1440s Medium Bronze Location Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence Height 158 cm Famous Artwork by Donatello Saint Mark Zuccone The Feast of Herod David Equestrian statue of Gattamelata Judith and Donatello's new style was confirmed in the famous St. George, carved in marble around 1416 and 1417 for the exterior of St Mark c. 1411 Marble, height 236 cm Orsanmichele, Florence: In 1411, the Arte dei Linaioli (the Guild of Linen Merchants) commissioned Donatello to create a statue of their patron saint Mark for the decoration of their niche on Orsanmichele. Croce. He began work immediately, choosing to work with marble instead of the more expensive bronze. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Research indicates that St. Mark and David were sculpted in marble. Donatello's sculpture is notable for its detailed realism, evidence of the artist's skills. ( Log Out /  The full power of Donatello first appeared in two marble statues, “St. Donatello carved his statue of St. George for the guild of armorers and swordmakers in Florence. St. Mark history. Eager to move out of the dark ages that lasted for nearly 900 years, Florence was starting its path to give birth to the first renaissance. In the work of the early Renaissance sculptor Donatello (born Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi) life seems to burst out of the metal and stone. Other articles where David is discussed: Donatello: Early career: …knowledge, a marble statue of David, shows an artistic debt to Ghiberti, who was then the leading Florentine exponent of International Gothic, a style of graceful, softly curved lines strongly influenced by northern European art. Email. Strong vertical lines of the columns that parallel St. Mark’s shoulders and cloth falling from the right hip downwards. St. Mark was the first of his contributions. In 1406 Donatello obtained one of his first commissions to work on the marble sculptures for the Porta della Mandorla of the Florence Cathedral. They hired the Donatello, who created a larger than life-size work. George” which were completed in 1415. Recently it was removed from its … Most noted is the classical revival of the contrapposto stance which the greeks and romans have applied before. The weight of the figure rests on the right leg, and the left knee is slightly bent to maintain balance. 16.1, Donatello. ", Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}43°46′14″N 11°15′17″E / 43.77056°N 11.25472°E / 43.77056; 11.25472, http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/orsanmichele/orsanmichele.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saint_Mark_(Donatello)&oldid=963428258, Sculptures depicting New Testament people, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 19 June 2020, at 19:12. This statue, which was commissioned by the Opera del Duomo, almost seems to … St. Mark is one of many new movements in Florence where art is commissioned by guilds rather than churches. According to Vasari's text The Lives of the Artists, 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. In the making of the Saint Mark statue, viewers’ perceptions were put into consideration to ensure that a perfect statue is erected. They decided to hire the sculptor Donatello for the commission, who created a larger than life-size work (it is 7'9” tall). Donatello’s celebrated marble figure of Saint Mark, in contrast, was sculpted between 1408 and 1413 CE for Florence’s Orsanmichele hall. The statue of St. Mark was commissioned by the linen guild, one of the poorer guilds in Florence whose patron was St. Mark. As early as 1628, the bronze colored paint which covered the statue was almost destroyed by weather. Hi! In 1417 he completed the Saint George for the Confraternity of the Cuirass-makers. There are many factors on why Donatello’s St. Mark is very important and different than other commissioned statues at the time. Donatello was hired to sculpt the statue of St. Mark by the linen drapers guild of the Orsanmichele church. They wanted a statue made to honor Mark the Evangelist, the writer of the book of Mark in the Bible. Donatello was commissioned by the linen weavers' guild to complete three pieces for the project. Donatello’s St. Mark was commissioned in 1411 by the Arte dei Linaioli (the Guild of linen manufacturers), members of the Arti Mediani category. In 1411–13, Donatello worked on a statue of St. Mark for the guild church of Orsanmichele. Commissioned by the Arte dei Linaioli (Guild of Linen Merchants) for the Church of Orsanmichele, Donatello's statue of St Mark was installed in a tabernacle in the outer wall of the church. “St. According to Renaissance scholar Gene A. Brucker, Donatello's statue of St. Mark "is generally recognized as the first Renaissance monument." St. Mark. After completing his statue of St Mark, Donatello hastened to complete the St John which was to be placed on the façade of Santa Maria del Fiore in the tabernacle at the side of the central door. The niche itself was … Intentionally makes big head so viewers looking up towards St. Mark can see more detailed face. -Saint Mark is a marble statue.-Stands approximately seven feet and nine inches high.-Saint Mark was made by Donatello in 1411-1413.-It is located at Orsanmichele.-Today a copy of the statue stands in the originals place.-The real statue is located in the church's museum. By the time of the Saint Mark commission, Donatello had already completed or was at work on several other notable public sculptures, including his marble David (1408-9), Saint John the Baptist (1408-15), and Saint George (c. 1410-15, also for Orsanmichele). 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