DONATELLO (Italian). One of the greatest Sculptors of the early period of the Renaissance. He was born at Florence, probably in 1386. Numerous statues, busts, marble medallions, sepulchral monuments, still extant, attest the genius of his talent, the loftiness of his conceptions, as well as the skilfulness of his chisel. Cellini, speaking of him and Michelangelo, before the Grand Duke of Florence, Cosmo de'Medici, calls them " the two greatest men that ever lived ". Donatello is the first Gem-engraver on record of the first half of the fifteenth century, according to the testimony of his friend, Philaretus ; it is certain that he had recourse to antique gems as prototypes for eight bas-reliefs which served to decorate the cortile of the Palazzo Ricardi under Cosmo de' Medici ( † 1464). These represent : Faun carrying Bacchus ;— Bacchus discovering Ariadne; — Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne; — Daedalus tying wings on Icarus ;— Ulysses and Athena ;— Centaur ;— Barbarian prisoner standing before Roman general ;— Diomedes carrying off the Palladium, &c. Donatello is also the author of some beautiful plaques in bronze : Saint-Sebastian suffering martyrdom ;— another now in the Louvre, but formerly in the His de la Salle collection, is attributed to this artist, and others no doubt exist. Donatello died on the 13th of December, 1466, at the age of eighty. Towards the end of his life, he was deprived of some of his faculties, and would have suffered the hardships of want, had not his former protector and patron allowed him a small pension to help him through. His body was accompanied to its resting place by all the leading artists residing at Florence at the time, and the sculptor's dearest wish was realized by his burial in the Basilica of San Lorenzo, not far from the mausoleum of Cosmo de' Medici, one of his master- pieces, and a lasting proof of the wonderful genius of the great Florentine sculptor. Donatello trained several pupils, who have produced some fine medallic works : Bertoldo, Michelozzo, Giacomo, Vellano, and others. By Donatello and his school are the following plaques : Virgin and Child (6 var.) ; — The Scourging of Christ ; — Pieta ; — Entombment of Christ; — Dead Christ supported by two angels (3 var.); — St Jeröme ; — Triumph of Love ; — Cupid at play (2 var.); — Sword hilt ornaments, &c. One of Donatello's most highly elaborated work, the so-called Martelli Mirror, is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. It was acquired for ? 650. A reproduction is given in Fortnum, Bronzes in the South Kensington Museum, 1876. It measures 9 in. by 7 1/2 in. Bibliography. — Bolzenthal, op. cit. — Babelon. op. cit. — E. Plon, Benvenuto Cellini, Paris, 1883. — E. Müntz, Donatello, Paris, 1885. — Dr Julius Cahn, op. cit. — E. Molinier, Les Plaquettes, Paris, 1885. — Perkins, Historical Handbook of Italian Sculpture. — Semper, Donatello, seine Zeit und Schule. — J. Cavallucci, Donatello. — Gazette des Beaux- Arts, 1886.
Source: Biographical dictionary of medallists; coin, gem, and seal-engravers, mint-masters, ancient and modern, with references to their works B.C. 500-A.D. 1900; compiled by L. Forrer, London 1904
Source: Biographical dictionary of medallists; coin, gem, and seal-engravers, mint-masters, ancient and modern, with references to their works B.C. 500-A.D. 1900; compiled by L. Forrer, London 1904
DENHOLME OF WESTHEILLS, SIR WILLIAM
DENHOLME OF WESTHEILLS, SIR WILLIAM (Scot.). Master of the Mint at Edinburgh, under William III., 1694-1702. His name appears on documents quoted by Burns and Cochran-Patrick in connection with a proposal he made, following the proclamation of the 12th July 1695, by which the rates of the silver coins were to be raised, that the altered values should be placed upon the coins. This proposal was rejected. During Denholme's tenure of office, the following denominations of coins were issued at the E...
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DENHOLME OF WESTHEILLS, SIR WILLIAM (Scot.). Master of the Mint at Edinburgh, under William III., 1694-1702. His name appears on documents quoted by Burns and Cochran-Patrick in connection with a proposal he made, following the proclamation of the 12th July 1695, by which the rates of the silver coins were to be raised, that the altered values should be placed upon the coins. This proposal was rejected. During Denholme's tenure of office, the following denominations of coins were issued at the E...
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DENON, DOMINIQUE VIVANT
DENON, DOMINIQUE VIVANT (French). Medallist, Engraver, Draughtsman, Archaeologist, and Writer, born at Chalon-sur-Saône on the 4th of January, 1747, died at Paris on the 27th of April, 1825. He was a member of the Institut de France, associate of the Academy of Dijon, Officer of the Legion of Honour, Knight of the Orders of Saint-Anne of Russia and of the Crown of Bavaria, and held in succession the posts of diplomatist, and public administrator. He took part in the expedition to Egypt under the...
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DENON, DOMINIQUE VIVANT (French). Medallist, Engraver, Draughtsman, Archaeologist, and Writer, born at Chalon-sur-Saône on the 4th of January, 1747, died at Paris on the 27th of April, 1825. He was a member of the Institut de France, associate of the Academy of Dijon, Officer of the Legion of Honour, Knight of the Orders of Saint-Anne of Russia and of the Crown of Bavaria, and held in succession the posts of diplomatist, and public administrator. He took part in the expedition to Egypt under the...
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DEPAULIS, ALEXIS JOSEPH
DEPAULIS, ALEXIS JOSEPH (French) 1790-1867. Medallist, born at Paris ; pupil of Andrieu and Cartellier ; entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts on the 24th of August, 1813 ; obtained a second-class medal in 1827, and a first class in 1833 ; decorated with the Legion of Honour in 1834. Amongst the numerous medals exhibited by him at the Salon from 1819 to the year of his death, I may note the following : Louis XVIII. ; — Martin Luther, after Holbein ; — Suger; — Ambroise Paré; — Jacques Amyot, 1819; — ...
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DEPAULIS, ALEXIS JOSEPH (French) 1790-1867. Medallist, born at Paris ; pupil of Andrieu and Cartellier ; entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts on the 24th of August, 1813 ; obtained a second-class medal in 1827, and a first class in 1833 ; decorated with the Legion of Honour in 1834. Amongst the numerous medals exhibited by him at the Salon from 1819 to the year of his death, I may note the following : Louis XVIII. ; — Martin Luther, after Holbein ; — Suger; — Ambroise Paré; — Jacques Amyot, 1819; — ...
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DERICK, ANTHONIE
DERICK, ANTHONIE (Brit.). Engraver at the London Mint under Edward VI. (anno 6), and from the second to the eighteenth year of Elizabeth. He is said to have succeeded Robert, on the latter's decease (Harl. MSS. n° 698, folio 51). In the same document, when the name of this engraver reappears under Elizabeth, it is spelt Anthony Derick. During his tenure of office, important alterations were made in the currency, which had become so debased as to give rise to general discontent, which found vent ...
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DERICK, ANTHONIE (Brit.). Engraver at the London Mint under Edward VI. (anno 6), and from the second to the eighteenth year of Elizabeth. He is said to have succeeded Robert, on the latter's decease (Harl. MSS. n° 698, folio 51). In the same document, when the name of this engraver reappears under Elizabeth, it is spelt Anthony Derick. During his tenure of office, important alterations were made in the currency, which had become so debased as to give rise to general discontent, which found vent ...
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