Desiderio da Settignano (attributed to), Young Deacon,
ca. 1455-1460, San Lorenzo, Florence
Desiderio da Settignano (attributed to), Young Deacon (detail),
ca. 1455-1460, San Lorenzo, Florence
Maybe even before conception the love felt and gained by God in the parents of a child has a bearing, along with the position of the moon, the stars and the planets. Often one wonders about the premise of a child by God or if anyone acknowledges the divine contribution of the heart. Settignano and Donatello, along with many other Italian Renaissance artists, appear to have been working for an equation for God as though they were already born in Heaven. The fleece of Saint John feels like it would have been golden in the minds of the two carvers or stonemasons. So, perhaps the sculptures, each made, were already conceived in the womb or at least in some part of their divine beings. Time often feels like it goes backwards and our life is to try and work out what went wrong with the human race or to re-edit the script. All cycles of life have an end in the evolution of the species and the planet. And it is also important to look back on a time with a different interpretation to equate a greater understanding.
Donatello, Beardless Prophet, c. 1416-1418,
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence
Donatello, Saint John the Evangelist, c. 1408-1415,
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence
