The Ascension Relief by Donatello, 1428-30

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Female Narrator:

The white marble panel dates from about 1428 to 1430 and was made in Florence. It shows Christ ascending in majesty, giving the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven to St Peter, as the Virgin Mary and the apostles look on in wonder, awe and grief. The rectangular panel is almost half a metre, or 18 inches, high and a little over a metre, or 3 feet, wide. The panel shows one of the finest examples of the technique of carving in rilievo schiacciato, or 'squashed relief,' by Donatello, the sculptor who's credited with inventing it.

The figure of Christ dominates the centre of the panel. He appears to be hovering within a mandorla, an almond-shape made up of clouds, and is surrounded by four small angels. To Christ's right, the stocky, bearded figure of St Peter reaches up to accept the keys to Heaven. To Christ's left is his mother, Mary. Unusually, Donatello has portrayed her as an elderly woman, her head and body swathed in a cloak, with only the profile of her careworn face and one outspread hand visible. She kneels, with her face upturned towards her son. The triangular positioning of Christ, Mary and St Peter at the centre of the panel invites the viewer to join the group as a spectator. So does the grouping of the apostles, facing Christ in an arc. Behind St Peter, the first apostle has his arm outstretched towards the risen Christ and his head turned back to his companions as if he is urging them to witness the miraculous sight. Behind him, barely sketched on the surface, is another apostle. The next figure has his eyes downcast and his hands raised, the palms towards Christ - perhaps in denial, perhaps overcome by emotion. The fourth is shown in strong profile, his hands lifted to chest height, his body half-concealing another who is carved in lower relief.

Standing behind Mary on the left of the panel are more apostles, each carved in successively shallower relief. Their faces are gaunt and hollow-eyed as they look up at Christ. Partly concealed behind the third of these apostles are the smaller, fainter figures of two more. The main figures are carved in a relief of no more than two centimetres in depth, but the drapery of their cloaks and the detail of their faces are magnificently carved to suggest fully three-dimensional forms.

Donatello's technical genius is shown in the way he uses ever-shallower relief to suggest an extreme depth of perspective. A pair of angels stands to the far left of the panel, their arms around each other. By carving them smaller and in a lower relief than the apostles and Christ, Donatello suggests that they are behind the main group. A line of trees stands on rolling hills behind these angels, diminishing in size and becoming fainter as they recede towards the horizon, where the tiny city of Jerusalem is lightly sketched.

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Female narrator:
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi— better known as Donatello— is widely regarded as the greatest sculptor of the fifteenth century. Although he was born to a humble family in Florence around 1387, he was highly educated and soon rose to fame, receiving commissions from the ruling Medici family and other important patrons. Donatello was admired for the powerful expression of his sculptures, which captured the emotions of the figures and scenes he portrayed. In 1550, the painter and writer Giorgio Vasari wrote in his book, The Lives of the Artists :

Male voice:
'The world is so full of Donato's work that it may be truthfully affirmed that no artist ever produced more than he. [… ..] he, single-handed, brought perfection and delight back to our age [by the multitude of his works]..."His work showed such excellent qualities of grace and design that it was considered nearer what was done by the ancient Greeks and Romans than that of any other artist.'

Female narrator:
According to Vasari, however, some aspects of Donatello's character were less praiseworthy. He was often quarrelsome, even violent. He threatened to kill an apprentice after an argument. And when a patron complained that he was being charged too much for a bronze head, Donatello flew into a rage and smashed the work. But he could also be generous: he supposedly kept a basket of money in his workshop so that assistants and friends could take what they wanted without asking.

Donatello is considered the inventor and master of rilievo schiacciato, or squashed relief, the subtle carving used to create the delicate marble panel in front of this audio point. As a favourite of Cosimo de' Medici, he was financially supported to his death, and considered both servant and friend. Donatello died in 1466 at around 80 years of age and was buried near the tomb of his great patron.Cosimo apparently wanted them to be as close to each other in death as they had been in life.

You can see several other works by or closely associated with Donatello in this gallery.

Supported by the BONITA TRUST.