Donatello's Cantoria

1053 Words5 Pages
Amidst the authentic sculptures, paintings, and tapestry cleverly displayed on the walls of the various chambers in the Duomo Museum of Florence, Italy, lies a piece of art that has influenced the way people of the Renaissance have thought about their society. Intricately engraved in marble in 1439, the Cantoria, or “Singing Gallery” is truly one of the most influential pieces of humanist work. Created by artists Donatello and Luca Della Robbia, the Cantoria is an intricate masterpiece that would have been used at the time as balconies for the Florence Cathedral church choir to sing in. Unfortunately, it was much too small and fragile, and weekly usage would not only result in possible damage, but possess a risk for the choir members, as the balconies could easily collapse. It was already unrecognizable as a piece of furniture however; people thought it was a delicate piece of art from the moment it was taken into the church. During the era Donatello and Luca Della Robbia were living in, a major rebirth in the Italian city-states was taking place. The rise of architects, scholars, artists, musicians, philosophers, and many other intelligent minds of the time led to create a group of people that would change the way Renaissance citizens would look at the world: humanists. Humanism was a wave of belief that an ideal citizen could be created out of ordinary people and of any calibre. It was a system of ideas and thought that gave primary importance to the quality of life of humans rather than that of spiritual or religious needs. It also brought up an interest in ancient Greek and Roman ways of thinking. Humanists wanted change. Donatello and Luca Della Robbia were new to this group of people, and were eager to show their perspective on the humanist approach. They did this by creating the Cantoria. A common misconception is that the Cantoria is one sculpture,
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