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FILIPPO'S friend Donato, who was always called Donatello, was
born in Florence in the year I383, and produced many works in
his youth; but the first thing that caused him to be known was
an Annunciation carved in stone for the church of S. Croce in
Florence. For the same church he made a crucifix of wood, which
he carved with extraordinary patience; and when it was done, thinking
it a very fine piece of work, he showed it to Filippo that he
might have his opinion upon it. Filippo, who expected from what
Donatello had said to see something better, when he looked at
it could not help smiling a little. Donatello, seeing it, prayed
him by their friendship to speak his mind truly, upon which Filippo,
who was frank enough, replied that he seemed to him to have put
on the cross a peasant and not Jesus Christ, who was the man most
perfect in everything that ever was born. Dona tello, feeling
the reproach more bitterly because he had expected praise, replied,
"If it were as easy to do a thing as to judge it, my Christ
would not look like a peasant; but take some wood yourself and
make one." Filippo without another word returned home, and,
saying nothing to any one, set to work upon a crucifix, and aiming
to surpass Donatello that he might not condemn himself, he brought
it to great perfection after many months. Then one morning he
invited Donatello to dine witk him. Donatello accepted his invitation,
and they went together to Filippo's house. Coming to the old market,
Filippo bought some things and gave them to Donatello, saying,
"Go on to the house and wait for me, I am just coming."
So Donatello, going into the house, found Filippo's crucifix arranged
in a good light; and stopping to consider it, he found it so perfect
that, overcome with surprise and admiration, he let his apron
drop, and the eggs and cheese and all the other things that he
was carrying in it fell to the ground and were broken. Filippo,
coming in and finding him standing thus lost in astonishment,
said, laughingly, "What are you about, Donatello? How are
we to dine when you have dropped all the things?" "I,"
said Donatello, "have had enough. If you want anything, take
it. To you it is given to do Christs, and to me peasants."
After this he made for the facade of S. Maria del Fiore a Daniel
and a S. John the Evangelist, and within the same church, for
the organ gallery, those figures which, though they are only roughly
sketched, seem when you look at them to be alive and move. For
Donatello made his figures in such a way that in the room where
he worked they did not look half as well as when they were put
in their places. It was so with the S. Mark, which in company
with Filippo he undertook for the joiners (though with Filippo's
goodwill he completed it all himself). When the masters of the
company saw it while it was on the ground they did not recognise
its value, and stopped the work; but Donatello begged them to
let him put it up and work upon it, and he would turn it into
quite another figure. Then, having set it up and screened it from
view for a fortnight, when he uncovered it, although he had not
touched it, every one was astonished at it. For the armourers
he made a S. George in armour, very full of life, with all the
beauty of youth and the courage of the soldier.
For the faSade of S. Maria del Fiore he made also four figures,
two of which were portraits from life, one young Francesco Soderini,
and the other Giovanni de Barduccio Cherichini, which is now called
the Zuccone, the bald man. This being considered more beautiful
than anything he had ever done, Donatello used to swear by it,
saying, "By the faith I bear to my bald man." While
he was working upon it he would look at it and say, "Speak,
speak!"
Duke Cosimo de' Medici admired his talents so much that he made
him work for him constantly; and he on his part bore such love
to Cosimo that he undertook what he wished at the least sign,
and obeyed him. There is a story told of a Genoese merchant who,
by the mediation of Cosimo, prevailed upon Donatello to make a
bronze head for him. When it was finished, the merchant coming
to pay him, thought that Donatello asked too much, so the matter
was referred to Cosimo. He had it brought to the upper court of
the palace and placed on the wall overlooking the street, that
it might be seen better. But when he tried to settle the difference,
he found the merchant's offer very much below Donatello's demand,
and turning to him he said it was too little. The merchant, who
thought it too much, answered that Donatello had worked upon it
for a month, or a little more, and that would give him more than
half a florin a day. Donatel]o upon that turned upon him in anger,
thinking these words too great an insult, and telling the merchant
that he had found means in a hundredth part of an hour to destroy
the work of a year, he gave the head a sudden blow and knocked
it down into the street, where it was broken into many pieces,
adding that it was evident he was in the habit of bargaining about
beans and not statues. The merchant repenting, offered to give
him double as much if he would make it again, but neither his
promises nor Cosimo's entreaties could make him consent.
In the houses of the Martelli are many works done by Donatello,
and among them a David three braccia high, with many other things
given to that family out of his love and devotion, particularly
a S. John in high relief worked in marble, a most rare thing,
belonging now to the heirs of Ruberto Martelli, who left command
that it should never be pledged or sold or given away, under heavy
penalties, in testimony of the kindness shown them by Donatello.
At this time the Signory of Venice, hearing the fame of him, sent
for him to make the monument to Gattamelata in the city of Padua.
He undertook it very gladly, and made the statue that stands in
the Piazza of S. Antonio, with the horse chafing and neighing,
and its proud, spirited rider. Donatello showed himself in this
so admirable, both for proportion and execution, that truly it
may be compared to any ancient work. The Paduans sought by every
means to prevail upon him to become a citizen and to stay there,
giving him much work to do; but finding himself considered a marvel,
and praised on all sides, he determined to return to Florence,
saying if he stayed there longer he should forget all he knew,
being praised so much, and that he must return to his own city
to be continually found fault with, for this faultfinding would
be the cause of his studying more, and thereby winning greater
glory.
To sum up, Donatello was so admirable in knowledge, in judgment,
and in the practice of his art that he may be said to have been
the first to illustrate the art of sculpture among the moderns;
and he deserves the more commendation because in his time few
antiquities had been uncovered. He was one of those who aroused
in Cosimo de' Medici the desire to bring antiquities into Florence.
He was most liberal and courteous, and kinder to his friends than
himself; nor did he care for money, keeping it in a basket hanging
from the ceiling, where his workmen and friends could help themselves
without saying anything to him. When he got old, therefore, and
could not work, he was supported by Cosimo and his friends. Cosimo
dying, recommended him to Piero his son, who, to carry out his
father's wishes, gave him a farm in Cafaggiuolo on which he could
live comfortably. Donatello was greatly pleased, thinking he was
now more than secure from dying of hunger. But he had not held
it a year beforc hc came to Piero and gave it him back, saying
that he could not give up all his quiet to attend to domestic
matters and to listen to the troubles of the farmer~ who was at
him every third day, now to complain that the wind had taken the
roof off the pigeonhouse, now that all the cattle had been taken
to pay the taxes, and again that the storm had destroyed his vines
and fruit trees; that he was weary of the trouble, and would rather
die of hunger than have to think of such things. Piero laughed
at his simplicity, and taking back the land, made him a provision
of the same value in money paid him every week, with which he
was quite content, and passed all the rest of his life as friend
and servant of the Medici without trouble or care.
One of his pupils was Nanni d'Antonio di Banco, who, although
he inherited riches and was not of low birth, yet delighting in
sculpture, was not only not ashamed to learn it and to practise
it, but obtained not a little glory in it. He was by nature rather
slow, but modest, humble, and agreeable in convetsation. The S.
Philip in marble which is outside the Orsanmichele in Florence
is from his hand. The work had been first allotted to Donatello
by the guild of the shoemakers, but not being able to agree with
him about the price, to spite Donatello they gave it to Nanni,
who promised to take whatever they would give him. But when the
statue was finished and set up, he asked a greater price than
Donatello had asked. The consuls of the guild therefore turned
again to Donatello, thinking that envy would make him estimate
the value of the statue much lower than if it had been his work.
But they were deceived, for Donatello gave judgment that more
should be given to Nanni than he had asked. And they, not willing
to agree to such a judgment, cried out to Donatello, "Why,
if you would have done the work for less, do you value it more
highly from the hand of another, and constrain us to pay more
than he himself asks, and yet you acknowledge that it would have
been better done if you had done it?" Donatello answered,
laughing, "The good man is not as good at the art as I am,
and suffers much more fatigue than I; therefore it appears to
me that as just men you are bound to pay him for the time that
he has spent." So his decision was accepted, the two parties
having agreed to abide by it.
Below the niche in which it was placed are four saints in marble,
made by Nanni for the guilds of the smiths, carpenters, and masons.
It is said that when they were all finished he found that it was
not possible to get more than three into the niche, he having
made some of them extending their arms. Then in despair he came
to Donatello and prayed him to advise him how to repair his mistake.
Donatello, laughing at his dilemma, said, "If you will promise
to pay for a supper for me and my lads I will undertake to make
the saints go into the niche without any trouble." Nanni
then, having given the promise very readily, Donatello sent him
to take some measures at Prato, and to do some other matters that
would take a few days. And when he was gone, Donatello, with all
his pupils and workmen, set to work and cut off frorn the statues
here a shoulder and there the arms, making them fit in close together,
with the hand of one appearing over the next one's shoulder. So
Donatello having linked them together to conceal Nanni's mistake,
they remain as tokens of concord and brotherly kindness; while
those who know nothing of the matter would never perceive the
error. Nanni, on his return, finding that Donatello had rectified
his mistake, gave him infinite thanks, and most willingly paid
for the supper.
Source. These texts were at http://ubmail.ubalt.edu/~pfitz/ART/REN/VASARI.HTM,but
vanished from the net, and so they have been restored here.
Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574. Lives of the most eminent painters, sculptors &
architects, by Giorgio Vasari: newly tr. by Gaston du C. de Vere. With five hundred
illustraiions, London, Macmillan and & The Medici society, 1912-15.
Other translations include:
Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574. The lives of the painters, sculptors and architects. London, J. M. Dent; New York, Dutton [1949-50]).
Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574. Lives of the most eminent painters, sculptors,
and architects. Abridged from the translation by Gaston DuC. DeVere. Edited, with an
introd., by Robert N. Linscott. New York, Modern Library [1959].
Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574. Lives of the artists. Selected and translated by
E.L. Seeley. Introd. by Alfred Werner. (New York, Noonday Press, [1965, c1957]).
Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574. Lives of the artists; a selection translated by
George Bull. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, Eng. : Penguin Books, 1987.
Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574. The lives of the artists; translated with an
introduction and notes by Julia Conaway Bondanella and Peter Bondanella. (Oxford ; New
York : Oxford University Press, 1991.).
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