Madonna and Child

1418

A commission for the lion “Marzocco” for a papal visit

In 1418 the Signoria commissioned from Donatello a large and imposing figure of Florence's heraldic lion, the Marzocco, for the entrance to a new apartment at Santa Maria Novella built for a rare visit by the pope; he did not finish it in time. It was later placed in the Piazza della Signoria.

1423

“The Feast of Herod” and the start of his work in bronze

By 1423 Ghiberti had not even started work on the reliefs for the Siena Baptistery font, and one of them, “The Feast of Herod”, was given to Donatello instead. That year marks the start of his documented work in bronze: he also received commissions for “Saint Louis of Toulouse” and a reliquary bust of Saint Rossore.

c. 1425

Partnership with Michelozzo

Around 1425 Donatello entered into a formal partnership with Michelozzo, an architect and sculptor about ten years younger: Donatello had too much work and was poor at organising a workshop, at which Michelozzo excelled, while Michelozzo wanted to extract himself from an arrangement with Ghiberti. Both had very good relations with the Medici.

July 1427

Tax declaration: his age and income

In his catasto tax declaration of July 1427 Donatello gave his age as 41, which is the basis of his birth date, 1386. The income shown is much lower than Ghiberti's for the same year, although his career was near its peak.