Equestrian Statue of Niccolò da Tolentino
Encyclopedia
The Equestrian Statue of Niccolò da Tolentino is a fresco painting by the Italian early Renaissance master Andrea del Castagno
, executed in 1456. It is housed in the Florence Cathedral, Italy
. Located on the left internal wall of the church, it pairs the adjacent Equestrian Statue of John Hawkwood by Paolo Uccello
(1436).
is depicted riding his horse, standing on a classical pedestal painted in geometrical perspective, and flanked by two nude men with coat of arms. The horse and the rider are painted in a different perspective than the pedestal. The horse (differently from the specie's walking pattern) is portrayed while raising both left legs. It is a large and massive animal, inspired to the head of the ancient Riccardi Horse and to Donatello
's Equestrian statue of Gattamelata, a prototype of Renaissance equestrian statues. Andrea del Castagno had studied this earlier statue through drawings, without going to its location, the city of Padua
in Veneto
.
Such as in Donatello's sculpture, the condottiero has a staring glance, to stress his attitude to command and determination in battle. The elegant hat and the flittering cloak area examples of the increasing taste for fine decorative elements in Florentine art, in contrast with the some 30 years earlier, and more austere, fresco of John Hawkwood
by Paolo Uccello.
The Latin inscriptions reads:
Andrea del Castagno
Andrea del Castagno was an Italian painter from Florence, influenced chiefly by Tommaso Masaccio and Giotto di Bondone. His works include frescoes in Sant'Apollonia in Florence and the painted equestrian monument of Niccolò da Tolentino in the Cathedral in Florence...
, executed in 1456. It is housed in the Florence Cathedral, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Located on the left internal wall of the church, it pairs the adjacent Equestrian Statue of John Hawkwood by Paolo Uccello
Paolo Uccello
Paolo Uccello , born Paolo di Dono, was an Italian painter and a mathematician who was notable for his pioneering work on visual perspective in art. Giorgio Vasari in his book Lives of the Artists wrote that Uccello was obsessed by his interest in perspective and would stay up all night in his...
(1436).
Description
The work is a fresco painted in monochrome to emulate a marble statue. The Italian condottiero Niccolò da TolentinoNiccolò da Tolentino
Niccolò Mauruzzi , best known as Niccolò da Tolentino was an Italian condottiero.-Biography:A member of the Mauruzi della Stacciola family of Tolentino, he fled from that city in 1370 after a dispute with his relatives. He therefore fought under several condottieri...
is depicted riding his horse, standing on a classical pedestal painted in geometrical perspective, and flanked by two nude men with coat of arms. The horse and the rider are painted in a different perspective than the pedestal. The horse (differently from the specie's walking pattern) is portrayed while raising both left legs. It is a large and massive animal, inspired to the head of the ancient Riccardi Horse and to Donatello
Donatello
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi , also known as Donatello, was an early Renaissance Italian artist and sculptor from Florence...
's Equestrian statue of Gattamelata, a prototype of Renaissance equestrian statues. Andrea del Castagno had studied this earlier statue through drawings, without going to its location, the city of Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
in Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
.
Such as in Donatello's sculpture, the condottiero has a staring glance, to stress his attitude to command and determination in battle. The elegant hat and the flittering cloak area examples of the increasing taste for fine decorative elements in Florentine art, in contrast with the some 30 years earlier, and more austere, fresco of John Hawkwood
John Hawkwood
Sir John Hawkwood was an English mercenary or condottiero who was active in 14th century Italy. The French chronicler Jean Froissart knew him as Jean Haccoude and Italians as Giovanni Acuto...
by Paolo Uccello.
The Latin inscriptions reads: