Donatello would go down in history as the most important artist to resurrect classical sculpture from the abyss of antiquity.Donatello was one of the most prominent sculptors in Italy in the 15th century, as well as one of the first forerunners of the Italian Renaissance, because of his distinctive, lifelike, and intensely emotive paintings.
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi is assumed to have possibly been born in Florence in 1386. The date is based on a statement of revenue given by the artist in 1433, in which he stated his age as 47.
Donatello trained with colleague Brunelleschi between 1402 and 1404. According to Brunelleschi’s historian Antonio Manetti, the two traveled to Rome to unearth and study old ruins.
Around 1430, Donatello came under the sponsorship of Cosimo de’ Medici. He ordered the artist to create a bronze sculpture of David, resulting in the world’s first free-standing naked statue.
Donatello’s advances in perspective and sculpting during the Early Renaissance contributed significantly to the basic foundation of what would become the thriving Italian Renaissance.