Thursday, September 1, 2022

Horse Protome

Horse Protome (Carafa Head) by Donatello, Donatello, the Renaissance exhibition, Palazzo Strozzi, Florence

Horse Protome (Carafa Head) by Donatello, 1456
‘Donatello, the Renaissance’ exhibition
Palazzo Strozzi
Florence, May 2022

“The ‘Monument to Gattamelata’, which Donatello delivered in Padua in 1453, sparked such enthusiasm that it prompted the King of Naples, Alfonso V of Aragon, via his Florentine agent Bartolomeo Serragli, to commission a colossal equestrian group from the artist. The only part that Donatello ever made was this imposing horse's head ‘so beautiful’, according to Vasari, ‘that many take it for an antique’.” (Donatello, the Renaissance exhibition)

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