house of Ruberto Martelli, and by his many good qualities, as well as by his diligence in the study of art, he secured the affection, not only of Martelli himself, but of his whole family. This master produced many works in his youth, but because they were many, they were not considered to be of any great account. The work which obtained him a name, and caused him to be known for what he really was, was an Annunciation,[1] executed in the stone called macigno, which was placed near the altar and chapel of the Cavalcanti family, in the church of Santa Croce, in Florence. Around this he executed an ornament in the grotesque manner, with a basement variously decorated and finished above in round arches. He added six boys who are bearing garlands; they appear to be holding each other closely as if in fear of the height, and to be thus seeking to secure themselves. But it is in the figure of the Virgin that he has principally displayed his art. Alarmed by the unexpected appearance of the angel, her movements betray timidity, yet, with great sweetness and most becoming reverence, she turns herself with an exquisite grace towards him who is saluting her, insomuch that one perceives in her countenance the humility and gratitude due to one who presents an unexpected gift, and which are all the more deeply felt, the more important is the benefit received. In the draperies of this madonna moreover, and in those of the angel, Donato exhibited much ability; they float off from the figures in graceful folds, the nude forms are displayed through them with masterly skill, and prove his determination to discover and restore that beauty of ancient art which had lain concealed for so many years: he gave evidence, in short, of so much power and art in this work, that design, judgment, and practised facility in the use of the chisel, could produce nothing finer, nor could better be desired.[2] For the same church, beneath the roodloft, and beside the historical
- ↑ Not marble, as Cicognara implies, but a fine-grained sandstone, called macigno, and found in many parts of the Apennines; it is considered to be in the highest perfection near Fiesole, and is sometimes called “Pietra Fesulana” from that circumstance. This stone receives various names, according to its colour, whether a lighter or darker grey, as serena, griccia, etc.
- ↑ This work still exists, but it is to be remarked that the boys are four, not six; and they are not in stone, but wood. The bassi-rilievi are engraved by Cicognara, ii, pi. 5.
