Equestrian statue of Condottier Gattamelata. Donatello, a monument to the Condottier of Gattamelate

Italy many times over the past centuries has shown its military character. The results of its manifestation are now adorned on the main squares of the country. The equestrian statue of Condottier Gattamelata is a good example. At the end of the years, it did not lose its appearance, and today it is the main place to which tourists aspire.

Little province

Padua is a city located in the Italian region of Veneto. He began his existence in the XI-X century. BC. E. There is a city on the eastern outskirts of the Padan plain, north of the Euganean hills, to the west of the Venetian lagoon. Through it many channels are laid.

This place has never been influential and did not cause much interest among the rulers of the country. It blossomed like a small province. But it was subject to many attacks from the Western Roman Empire. Architecture also stood still until a certain period.

But still there was that person who was not indifferent to the fate of this small city.

Flattering cat

In 1370 the future ruler of Padua, Erasmo da Narni, was born. He was brought up in the family of a baker and was not representative of a rich community.

From his childhood, he had aspirations for protection. This was reflected in every way in his behavior, in the manifestation of a steel character. Already in his youth, he realized that he needed to participate in military battles. Erasmo began his teachings with Ceccolo Broglie, then proceeded to the Italian condottier Braccio da Montone.

By 1437 he had won recognition from the local population, and the latter had been chosen by the ruler of the city. Who Erasmus remained until the end of his days.

His nickname "Gattamelata" Erasmo and Narni received thanks to his illustrious "cunning" character. The very name is translated as "flattering cat".

He spent his life rather violently and made a significant contribution to the history of Italy.

Perhaps, he can not be called a great commander, but his realization that it is necessary to raise the wealth of his homeland, led Erasmo to success.

The equestrian statue of Condottier Gattamelata shows to what extent his difficult path, which he passed, was in the name of his small town. So many battles survived and lived to the old age with his head held high.

Militant images

Who are these condottieri really? These are the leaders of the detachments that were created to protect the city from the enemy's offensive. Each group had its leading "leader", who controlled all the processes. He could call new communities, resort to instruction in the offensive, conclude contracts, etc.

Italy has laid a lot of hopes on the city of Padua. Both the population and the government believed that the natives of the province were smart enough to carry out military reforms.

The founders of the condottery, such as Erasmo and Narni, had in their arsenal a fraction of the adventurism, which helped them very much in the battles and organization of the team.

But there were some nuances in this profession. The generals were not always honest with their subordinates and underpaid their money for such hard work, and sometimes they even put everything in their pocket.

Italian creator

A great sculptor and a man who went down in history with great incarnated projects, is Donatello. Equestrian statue of Condottier Gattamelata showed his professional level and ability to adapt to different wishes of customers.

He adhered to his works of naturalism, the created image always impressed with its "living" features.

Donatello has been attached to art since childhood. Knowledge came to him gradually. In his youth, he was particularly attracted by Greco-Roman sculptures.

In 1434, he made the first statue of a realistic direction - a monument to Magdalena. It was an image of an old woman, which made work very difficult.

But still Donatello coped with it. And thanks to this work of art, he became famous as the first "naturalist" of Italy.

The perpetuation of the ruler

In 1443 the relatives of the deceased condottiere turned to the great sculptor and asked to build a monument to Gattamelate. Of course, Donatello could not refuse and went to Padua, where he later stayed to work for 10 years.

The design of the monument on paper lasted for two years, and already in the period from 1445 to 1447, the sculpture itself was molded.

Then there was no less important task: to put a three-meter building on an eight-meter pedestal. But, thanks to preliminary calculations, everything was successfully implemented.

Only this did not end there. The monument to Condottier Gattamelate required further development. Therefore, Donattelo minted the construction for three years, until the image of the ruler was fully embodied.

Feedback on the work of art

The head of the sector of the West European art of the Hermitage, Sergey Olegovich Androsov, regarded such a construction as the feat of Donatello. The equestrian statue of Condottier Gattamelata struck him with its structure and the incredible complexity of ascension of the sculpture to the pedestal. After all, for that time there were practically no technical possibilities. And it was very difficult to build such structures. Everywhere used tools and a large number of people.

But, despite all the difficult organizational moments, the sculpture was able to establish, and perpendicularly, due to what creates the effect of aspirations into the distance.

Such a monument became an example for many architects, who later created projects of this kind. The combination of classicism and naturalism led Donatello to great success. His works are still on display in higher educational institutions and galleries of art. Also, his techniques and techniques are used in construction projects to maintain the Renaissance style.

Symbolism in the image

Sergei Olegovich Androsov notes the characteristic transfer of the epoch of that time in the clothes of the ruler, where not only the style, but also the military armor was poured. Lats were decorated with figures that depicted a long way and riders.

Then Donatello decided to make a fuzzy transition from the body of Erasmus to the mane of the horse. The casting was carried out in such a way that the features of the animal and man were poured from one to the other.

The equestrian statue of Condottier Gattamelata contains some mystery and affection for the other world. Since Donatelo created the sculpture after the death of the hero, he painted a closed door in the pedestal. A closed door means that after death there is no way back.

It should also be noted that the sculptor significantly shortened Erasmo's legs in order to emphasize the masculinity and massiveness of the body.

Location of the monument

The equestrian statue of Condottier Gattamelata found its refuge near the facade of the Padua Basilica del Santo. The place was chosen not by chance, since in his time the commander served in the Popes in Florence and was a very religious person.

Many who visited this place say that this is a phenomenal pedestal, thanks to its numerous symbolism. After viewing such monuments, tourists leave under the huge impression, as they discover a lot of new things.

But still we recommend visiting this very small and beautiful city of Padua. Italy is a country full of mysteries and unexpected decisions by architects.