Donatello terracotta round tile

Donatello (Florence, 1386 - Florence, December 13, 1466) was an Italian sculptor, painter and architect.

Artist with a very long career, he was one of the three fathers of the Florentine Renaissance, together with Filippo Brunelleschi and Masaccio, as well as one of the most famous sculptors of all time. He made a fundamental contribution to the renewal of the methods of sculpture, definitively setting aside the experiences of the late Gothic and surpassing the models of classical Roman art. He invented the "stiacciato" technique, based on minimal millimeter variations of thickness, which does not prevent the creation of an illusory space, and mastered the most disparate techniques and materials (marble, pietra serena, bronze, wood, terracotta). He also devoted himself to drawing, providing, for example, the models for some stained glass windows in the Florence Cathedral.

Particular was the ability to infuse humanity and psychological introspection into his works, often with dramatic accents or with restrained but perfectly visible energy and vitality.