Italy has shown its military character many times over the past centuries. The results of its manifestation now flaunt on the main areas of the country. The equestrian statue of condottier Gattamelata is a good example of this. After years, she did not lose her appearance, and today is the main place that tourists seek.
Small province
Padova is a city located in the Italian region of Veneto. He began his existence in the XI-X century. BC e. The city is located on the eastern edge of the Padan Plain, north of the Evganey hills, west of the Venetian lagoon. Through it laid many channels.
This place was never influential and did not cause much interest among the rulers of the country. It bloomed like a small province. But it was subject to many attacks by the Western Roman Empire. Architecture also stood still until a certain period.
But still, there was a man 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 a representative of a rich community.
From childhood, he had a desire for protection. This was strongly reflected 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 studies with Ceccolo Broglia, then went on to the Italian condottier Braccio da Montone.
By 1437, he won recognition from the local population, and the latter elected him the ruler of the city. Who Erasmo and remained until the end of his days.
Erasmo da Narni got his nickname "Gattamelata" due to his illustrious "cunning" character. The nickname itself translates as "flattering cat."
He spent his life quite violently and made a significant contribution to the history of Italy.
Perhaps he can not be called a great commander, but his realization that he needed to raise the wealth of his homeland, led Erasmo to success.
The equestrian statue of condottier Gattamelata shows the extent to which his difficult path along which he went was in the name of his small town. He survived so many battles and lived to his very old age with his head held high.
Warlike images
Who are the condottieres really? These are the leaders of the detachments that were created to protect the city from the advance of enemies. Each group had its own leading “leader”, who controlled all the processes. He could convene new communities, resort to instruction during the offensive, conclude agreements, etc.
Italy placed a lot of hope in the city of Padua. Both the population and the authorities believed that the natives of the provinces had enough intelligence to carry out military reforms.
The founders of condottierry, such as Erasmo da Narni, had a bit of adventurism in their arsenal, which helped them a lot in the battles and organization of the team.
But there were some nuances of such a profession. The commanders were not always honest with their subordinates and underpaid them for such hard work, and sometimes they put everything in their pocket.
Italian creator
The great sculptor and person who went down in history with great embodied designs is Donatello. The equestrian statue of condottier Gattamelata showed his professional level and ability to adapt to different wishes of customers.
He adhered to naturalism in his works, the created image always impressed with his “living” features.
From childhood, Donatello was introduced to art. Knowledge came to him gradually. In his youth, he was particularly attracted to 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, and this greatly complicated the work.
But still Donatello dealt with her. And thanks to this work of art, he became famous as the first "naturalist" of Italy.
Immortalizing the ruler
In 1443, the relatives of the deceased condottier 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 subsequently stayed to work for 10 years.
The design of the monument on paper lasted for two whole years, and already in the period from 1445 to 1447 the sculpture itself was cast.
Then there was an equally important task: to put a three-meter structure on an eight-meter pedestal. But, thanks to preliminary calculations, everything was successfully implemented.
But this did not end there. The monument to Condottiere Gattamelate required improvement. Therefore, Donattelo minted the building for three years, until the personification of the image of the ruler.
Review of a work of art
The head of the Hermitage's Western European art sector, Sergey Olegovich Androsov, regarded such a structure as the exploit of Donatello. The equestrian statue of condottiere Gattamelata impressed him with its structure and the incredible complexity of raising the sculpture on a pedestal. Indeed, for that time there were practically no technical capabilities. And to build such structures was very difficult. Everywhere used improvised means and a large number of people.
But, despite all the difficult organizational issues, the sculpture was able to be installed, and perpendicularly, due to which the effect of aspiration into the distance is created.
Such a monument became an example for many architects who subsequently created projects of this kind. The combination of classicism and naturalism led Donatello to great success. His works are still on display at higher educational institutions and art galleries. Also, his techniques and techniques are used in construction projects to maintain the Renaissance style.
Symbolism in the image
Sergey Olegovich Androsov notes the characteristic transfer of the era of that time in the clothes of the ruler, where not only the style, but also the military armor was cast. The armor was adorned with figures that depicted a long journey and horsemen.
Then Donatello decided to make a fuzzy transition from the body of Erasmo to the mane of the horse. Casting was performed in such a way that the features of the animal and man poured from one to the other.
The equestrian statue of condottier Gattamelata contains a certain mystery and attachment to the other world. Since Donattelo created the sculpture after the death of the hero, on the pedestal he depicted a closed door. A closed door means that after death there is no turning back.
It should also be noted that the sculptor significantly shortened the legs of Erasmo in order to emphasize the masculinity and massiveness of the body.
Monument Location
The equestrian statue of condottier Gattamelata found refuge near the facade of the Padua Cathedral of Basilica del Santo. The place was not chosen by chance, because at one time the commander served in Florence with the popes and was a very religious person.
Many who visited this place say that this is a phenomenal pedestal, due to its many symbols. After viewing such monuments, tourists leave under the great impression, as they discover a lot of new things.
Nevertheless, we advise you to visit this small and beautiful city of Padua yourself. Italy is a country full of mysteries and unexpected decisions of architects.