Donatello (1386-1466)

Donatello, an early-Renaissance painter and sculptor, working

in Florence, Italy, was the precursor of jewelry-making in Italy.

His special painting style called s t i a c c i a t o (very low-carved

bas-relief) inspired by Greek bas-relief marble and/stone

carving and his early apprenticeship as a jeweller, has all

the characteristics of sculpture. In fact, he sculpted

the Florentine basilica door as a bas-relief in bronze,

emphasizing each minute detail which influenced silver

and gold jewelry making. His craftsmanship in sculpting

transformed his paintings which took on a 3-dimensional aspect

adding verisimilitude to his portraits. Sculptures, such as

the various representations of David, of Italian aristocrats,

and St. John in an almost miniature bronze and another gigantic

marble statue represent these personalities as he perceived

them from different angles, at times emphasizing David's

bravoure, at other times, his matter-of-fact attitude and

daring after the slaying of Goliath as an act that just had

to be done. I think his depth depiction of the religious themes

and portraits that he painted and sculpted and the combination of

the triple techniques of sculpture, jewelry, and 3-dimensional

painting encouraged Renaissance jewellers to experiment

with new ways of creating jewelry.