Donatello was born Donnato Di Niccolo Di Betto Bardi in Florence, Italy. Most records show that he was born in the year 1386, although the actual date of his birth is unknown. His father, Niccolo di Betto Bardi, was a Florentine wool comber; but Donatello, unlike most sons of that time, had no plans of following in his father's footsteps. While nothing is known of his childhood, education, nor of his training in sculpture, it is assumed that around 1400 he began learning stone carving from one of the sculptors working for the cathedral of Florence. It has been estab-lished that at the age of seventeen, he met, learned from, and worked for Lorenzo Ghiberti, a noted sculptor in bronze. As a member of Ghiberti's workshop, Donatello assisted in constructing and

Another sculpture that demonstrates this first period of Donatello's work is the sculpture of Saint George. Following the creation of his statue of Saint John, Donatello's Saint George, commissioned by the Armourer's

The statue of Saint Mark was commissioned by the Arte del Linaioli (the Guild of Linen Merchants) in 1411. Saint Mark was made for the church of Orsanmichele and kept in its tabernacle until recently when it was restored and removed to be placed in a museum. The statue of Saint Mark is an excellent example of the classical style that Donatello had in the first period of his work.

Donatello originated the sculpting technique known as stiacciato, which means "flattened out"; this involves extremely shallow carving throughout a panel, creating a more striking effect of atmospheric space. While a Ghiberti relief is tactile and can be "read" by a blind man, a rilievo stiacciato, or flattened relief panel depends on visual perceptions and seems to be made of much deeper cuts and carvings.

During the years of 1430 through 1433, Donatello spent most of his time in Rome where he created such great works as the ciborium in the sacristy of the Basilica of Saint Peter. This brilliant sculpture was decorated with two of his most famous reliefs: Worshipping Angels and the Burial of Christ. After spending time in Rome, Donatello moved on to Florence where he then created a piece of art that is remembered by all who view it - his statue of David.

Guild, was sculpted about 1416 and placed in a niche of the north wall in the church of Orsanmichele. The Italian writer, Giorgio Vasari, gave his positive appraisal of Saint George in his best known book on the lives of major artists of the Italian Renaissance: Vite de' Piu Eccellenti Pittori, Scultori, ed Architetti Italiani (English translation: Lives of the Artists). Later, when the statue of Saint George was transferred to the tabernacle of the Arte dei Medici e Speziali, its beauty was diminished, which also led to decreasing its fame. After creating these sculptures, Donatello extended a different influence to his works.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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