A central dome dominates this space, while greyish-green stone articulates its perfect geometry.
Central Italy 1400s: Sculpture and Architecture
City-states vied for the best artists. After Ghiberti dragged his feet, Siena invited Donatello to finish the job.
Donatello, Feast of Herod
His nudity references classical antiquity, but David embodies the ideals and concerns of 15th-century Florence.
Donatello, David
Brunelleschi’s panel may be scarier, but Ghiberti’s is more emotionally complex. In both, an angel saves the day.
Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti, Sacrifice of ...
In the five centuries since they were installed, Andrea della Robbia's sculptures of children have become a widely recognized symbol of the Innocenti hospital and of childhood itself
Andrea della Robbia’s bambini at the Ospedale ...
A soldier saint in Renaissance Florence.
Donatello, Saint George
When the citizens of Florence looked up at St. Mark, they saw a mirror of their own dignity—and of ancient nobility.
Donatello, St. Mark
Romanesque, Gothic, or ancient Greek? Whether you divide this façade by styles or squares, its stones come alive.
Alberti, Façade of Santa Maria Novella, Florence
These gilded bronze doors are a masterpiece of clarity and illusionism. Space coheres, and figures move with ease.
Lorenzo Ghiberti, Gates of Paradise, East Doors ...
Capturing figures in thought, stonemasons understood what it meant to be human—just like the ancient Romans.
Nanni di Banco, Four Crowned Saints
This difficult sculpture is an exercise in contrasts: frailty and power, pure spirituality and anatomical accuracy.
Donatello, Mary Magdalene
The secrets of large-scale casting were lost for a thousand years, but bronze horses were no sweat for Donatello.
Donatello, Equestrian Monument of Gattamelata
Squaring the circle? At this burial site, pendentives unite the dome of heaven and the gravity of earth.
Brunelleschi, Old Sacristy, San Lorenzo, Florence
Renaissance Florence, or ancient Rome? This church remade the classical. It’s energetic and dense, but also severe.
Filippo Brunelleschi, Santo Spirito, Florence
This marble relief is as flat as Tuscan bread, yet its atmospheric space recedes into depth. Extraordinary.
Donatello, Madonna of the Clouds
From granary to—church? Once open to the city, this building and its niches blend the spiritual with the everyday.
Orsanmichele and Donatello’s Saint Mark, Florence
Down and out, but still afloat. This huge, hollow dome stays put thanks to its skeletal ribs and “girdle.”
Filippo Brunelleschi, Dome of the Cathedral of ...
Three ancient Roman forms combine to bring the grandeur of classical architecture into a Christian context.
Leon Battista Alberti, Sant’Andrea in Mantua
This domestic building references ancient Roman architecture—and the nearby Medici palace.
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