This conference aims to complement the exhibition Donatello: Sculpting the Renaissance at the V&A with impactful and innovative research on the sculptor Donatello (c. 1386-1466). The conference is organised by the V&A Research Institute and will provide an opportunity to discuss the importance of training, collaboration and workshops around Donatello and his close associates, together with Donatello’s rediscovery in the 19th century.

This event will take place in person in the Hochhauser Auditorium and online via Zoom.

Tickets for on site event: https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/py81NNKMqJ/donatello-conference-may-2023
Tickets for online event: https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/97Z2ZekYG6/donatello-sculpting-the-renaissance-conference-online

This conference is supported by the Robert H. Smith Family Foundation and a grant from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.

Programme:

Friday, 19th May

From 10.15 Registration and coffee
10.45 – 10.50 Welcome and opening remarks/ Joanna Norman, V&A
10.50 Introduction to the Exhibition and Conference/ Peta Motture, V&A

Session 1: DONATELLO AND WORKSHOPS
Chaired by Alison Wright, University College London

11.05 – 11.40
Joaneath Spicer, Walters Art Museum
Donatello’s Big Take-Away from Ghiberti’s Workshop: The Inspiration of a Roman Small Bronze in Ghiberti’s Collection

11.40 – 12.00
Daniel M. Zolli, Penn State University
Of Fish, Frogs, and Fire: Donatello's Collaborators in Padua

12.00 – 12.20
Una D’Elia, Queen’s University in Canada
Painting on Sculptures in Donatello’s Florence

12.20 – 12.35 Q&A

12.35 – 14.00 Lunch break

Session 2: OBJECTS IN FOCUS: DISCOVERIES THROUGH CONSERVATION
Chaired by Adriana Francescutto Miró, V&A

14.00 – 14.20
Alison Luchs, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Donatello and the Mellon Madonna – Facture and Conjecture

14.20 – 14.40
Giancarlo Graziani and Salvatore Prato, Ce.St.Art. – Centre for Studies of Art Economy
Donatello Puzzle: the Deposition of Christ and the High Altar at the Basilica of Saint Anthony in Padua.

14.40 – 14.55 Q&A

14.55 - 15.25 Break

Session 3: Bronzes: DISCOVERIES THROUGH CONSERVATION
Chaired by Jim Harris, Ashmolean Museum and University of Oxford

15.25 – 16.00
Laura Speranza, Opificio delle Pietre Dure
Technical Observations on Works by Donatello: the Pulpits of S. Lorenzo, Florence and Sculptures from the Baptismal Font, Siena.

16.00 – 16.20
Nicola Salvioli, Independent Conservator
Conservation Treatment on Niccoló Baroncelli’s Bronze Group from Ferrara Cathedral

16.20 – 17.00 Q&A and Round up

17.00 – 18.30 Drinks reception

Saturday 20th May

10.00 – 10.30 Registration and coffee
10.30 – 10.50 Introduction and summary of previous day/ Antonia Boström, V&A

Session 1: DONATELLO’S PATRONS
Chaired by John Paoletti, Emeritus, Wesleyan University

10.50 – 11.10
David Wilkins, Emeritus, University of Pittsburgh
Patron/Collaborator/Audience: Expanding the Narrative

11.10 – 11.30
Giulio Dalvit, The Frick Collection
Donatello’s Sienese Years

11.30 – 11.45 Q&A

Session 2: 19TH CENTURY – ART MARKET
Chaired by Jeremy Warren, Ashmolean Museum and the National Trust

11.45 – 12.05
Daniele Rivoletti, Universitè Clermont Auvergne
Donatello, a Controversial Figure in 19th-century Paris?

12.05 – 12.25
Lynn Catterson, Independent Scholar
Different Donatellos: Auctions versus Dealers in the Late 19th-century Art Market

12.25 – 12.40 Q&A

12.40 – 14.00 Lunch break

Session 3: 19TH CENTURY – PLASTER CASTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS
Chaired by Eckart Marchand, The Warburg Institute – Bilderfahrzeuge Project

14.00 – 14.20
Martha Dunkelman, Emerita, Canisius College, Buffalo
Give the Customers What They Want: Donatello’s Sculpture in Plaster Casts

14.20 – 14.40
Jacqueline M. Musacchio, Wellesley College
Donatello and Americans in Italy

14.40 – 15.00
Geraldine A. Johnson, University of Oxford
Will the Real Donatello please stand up? Photographic Interventions in the Attribution and Analysis of Italian Renaissance Sculpture

15.00 – 15.15 Q&A

15.15 – 15.45 Break

15.45 – 16.15 Roundtable and closing remarks / Chaired by Amy R. Bloch, University at Albany, with Jeremy Warren, Ashmolean Museum and the National Trust, Rachel Boyd, Ashmolean Museum, Eckart Marchand, The Warburg Institute – Bilderfahrzeuge Project

END