Donatello's sculpture of Erasmo Da Narni

Produced by Donatello between 1443 and 1453, the Equestrian Statue of Erasmo Da Narni stands over 12 feet tall and is located in Piazza del Santo in Padua, Italy.  After examining the sculpture I quickly realized that one of my first reactions to it was it possessed a feeling of power and authority, and after further examination of the sculpture I also recognized that the feelings of power and authority were portrayed in a seemingly cold and gloomy way.

                My first reaction of the sculpture portraying a feeling of power and authority came from the scale of the piece. Standing 12 feet 2 inches the Equestrian Statue of Erasmo Da Narni stands very tall over all who pass it, which would definitely makes me feel as though it projects a broad sense of power. Not only is the statue itself very tall, but after looking at other pictures I realized that it also was mounted on a marble pedestal that made it stand even higher. It is through the combination of its very high pedestal and life like scale of the horse and rider that the sculpture presented me with a feeling as though it ruled over whoever passed by. I think that without the high orientation of the sculpture on the marble pedestal, it would not project the same feelings of power, considering that the horse and rider are for the most part scaled to a realistic size.

It is through this realistic scaling of Erasmo Da Narni that I feel gives the sculpture even more realism and personal relation to it. Unlike some sculptures that use an unrealistically large scale to project power, this sculpture projects it though its realistic size. This realistic scale provides the viewer with a more relatable quality for the everyday citizen to associate with.

Although this feeling of power is mainly derived from the height of the sculpture there is a very cold and gloomy feel about the sculpture as well. One of the reasons for this cold and gloomy side of Esarmo Da Narni comes from the compound in which it is made. The statue is made out of bronze. It is the cold hard texture and feel of bronze that I believe puts across this cold and gloomy side of Esarmo Da Narni. This cold hard texture not only shows his cold and gloomy side but also gives him even more of a sense of power. The hard bronze structure gives the viewer a feeling of strength and toughness. Overall the compound used to sculpt Erasmo Da Narni was a good choice. I feel that it helped show the strength, power, and toughness of this Venetian army general.

The dark color of the aged bronze puts across a solemn and dignified feeling. The horse and its rider are both made of the same dark bronze compound, which does not distinguish one from another but presents them both as one. It is this unity derived from them that seems to separate the sculpture from its more modern surroundings, making it seem as though it’s a glimpse back to the renaissance age in which it was created.  It is through its distinction from its more modern surroundings which further enforces the feelings of solemnness. This feeling of solemnness would not apply to the sculpture during its original time period of course. It would have fit in much better without a ton of cars and busses driving by.

Overall this amazing sculpture created by Donatello brings to the viewer’s eye a glimpse at the past. It is through his realistic scaling and detailing of Erasmo Da Narni which provides a sense of realism. This sense of realism helps give the viewer a feeling of what Erasasmo Da Narni may have actually looked like during his life. With the medium of bronze, the true to life scale of Erasmo Da Narni, and dark color of the whole sculpture, the Erasmo Da Narni sculpture provides an overall amazing sense of power, strength, toughness.