contact with the earth. Finally, Hercules held him aloft so that he
could not touch the ground, and strangled him around the waist.
Pollaiuolo strove to convey the final excruciating moments of the
struggle—the straining and cracking of sinews, the clenched teeth of
Hercules, and the kicking and screaming of Antaeus. The figures
intertwine and interlock as they fight, and the flickering reflections
of light on the dark gouged bronze surface contribute to a fluid play
of planes and the effect of agitated movement.
GATTAMELATA Given the increased emphasis on individual
achievement and recognition that humanism fostered, it is not surpris-
ing that portraiture enjoyed a revival in the 15th century. Commemo-
rative portraits of the deceased were common, and patrons also com-
missioned portraits of themselves. In 1443, Donatello left Florence for
northern Italy to accept a rewarding commission from the Republic of
Venice to create a commemorative monument in honor of the recently
deceased Venetian condottiere Erasmo da Narni (1370–1443), nick-
named Gattamelata (“honeyed cat,” a wordplay on his mother’s name,
Melania Gattelli). Although Gattamelata’s family paid for the general’s
portrait (FIG. 21-15), the Venetian senate formally authorized its
erection in the square in front of the church of Sant’Antonio in Padua,
the condottiere’s birthplace. Equestrian statues occasionally had been
set up in Italy in the late Middle Ages, but Donatello’s Gattamelata was
the first to rival the grandeur of the mounted portraits of antiquity,
such as that of Marcus Aurelius (FIG. 10-59), which the artist must haveseen in Rome. Donatello’s contemporaries, one of whom described
Gattamelata as sitting “there with great magnificence like a triumphant
Caesar,”^4 recognized this reference to antiquity. The statue stands on a
lofty elliptical base, set apart from its surroundings, and almost cele-
brates sculpture’s liberation from architecture. Massive and majestic,
the great horse bears the armored general easily, for, unlike the sculptor
of Marcus Aurelius, Donatello did not represent the Venetian com-
mander as superhuman and more than life-size. Gattamelata domi-
nates his mighty steed by force of character rather than sheer size. The
Italian rider, his face set in a mask of dauntless resolution and unshak-
able will, is the very portrait of the Renaissance individualist. Such a
man—intelligent, courageous, ambitious, and frequently of humble
origin—could, by his own resourcefulness and on his own merits, rise
to a commanding position in the world. Together, man and horse con-
vey an overwhelming image of irresistible strength and unlimited
power—an impression Donatello reinforced visually by placing the
left forehoof of the horse on an orb, reviving a venerable ancient sym-
bol for hegemony over the earth (compare FIG. 16-12). The imperial
imagery is all the more remarkable because Erasmo da Narni was not a
head of state.
BARTOLOMMEO COLLEONIVerrocchio also received a com-
mission to make an equestrian statue of a Venetian condottiere, Bar-
tolommeo Colleoni (1400–1475). His portrait (FIG. 21-16) provides
a counterpoint to Donatello’s statue. Eager to garner the same fame21-15Donatello,Gattamelata (equestrian statue of Erasmo
da Narni), Piazza del Santo, Padua, Italy, ca. 1445–1453. Bronze,
12 2 high.
Donatello based his giant portrait of a Venetian general on equestrian
statues of ancient Roman emperors (FIG. 10-59). Together, man and
horse convey an overwhelming image of irresistible strength.21-16Andrea del Verrocchio,Bartolommeo Colleoni (equestrian
statue), Campo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, Italy, ca. 1481–1496.
Bronze, 13high.
Eager to compete with Donatello’s Gattamelata(FIG. 21-15), Colleoni
provided the funds for his own equestrian statue in his will. The statue
stands on a pedestal even taller than Gattamelata’s.Florence 5511 ft. 1 ft.