Donatello's Reliquary Bust of Saint Rossore

Author(s): Anita Moskowitz

Source: The Art Bulletin, Vol. 63, No. 1 (Mar., 1981), pp. 41-48
Published by: College Art Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3050084
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room for doubt in suggesting that the Bamberg Prophet is
Elisha, but the mantle worn by Donatello's Zuccone
allows for no such question mark.
The passage from the Book of Kings describes an old
man's despair at the loss of his master. He tears his own
garment from his back and rends it in two, a gesture ex-
pressing supreme anguish, and only then does he take up
the mantle of the double-spirit which has fallen to him. In
narrative illustrations this scene is played out, but here
that action, restricted to a single figure, is distilled in the
mantle which reveals the miraculous transfer of prophetic
power.
Just as Elijah's flight in the fiery chariot prefigures the
Ascension of Christ, so his fallen mantle prefigures the
tongues of fire that fell upon the Apostles at Pentecost,
evidence of their new ability and responsibility. The
metaphor still exists in the mantle of authority which falls
upon any newcomer to a position of command, and is
acknowledged historically in the robe of the emperor and
the cappa of the pope. The sculptured folds of the
Zuccone's mantle sweep attention forcefully upward
toward the compelling bald head, but at the same time the
Donatello's ReliquaryBust of Saint Rossore
Anita Moskowitz
The gilt-bronze reliquary bust of Saint Rossore (Figs. 1-
3), executed sometime between 1422 and 1427,1 is deeply
rooted in the centuries-old tradition of head and bust reli-
quaries; yet, as one would expect from Donatello, it is an
This study originated in a seminar entitled "Problems of the Portrait Bust
in Italy," directed by Professor Irving Lavin at the Institute of Fine Arts,
New York University. I wish to thank Professors Lavin and H. W. Jan-
son for reading earlier versions of this text and for offering helpful
criticisms and suggestions. Part of this material was delivered at a session
on portraiture led by Professor David Wilkins at the Thirteenth Con-
ference on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, May 4-7,
1978.
1 Sometime between 1422, when a relic of Saint Rossore was brought
from Pisa to Florence by the Brothers of Ognissanti (Scipione Am-
mirato, Dell'istorie fiorentine, Libro xvii, Florence, 1600, 682), and 1427,
when a tax declaration indicates that a bronze half-length figure of the
saint was completed (G. Fontana, Un'opera del Donatello esistente nella
Chiesa dei Cavalieri di S. Stefano di Pisa, Pisa, 1895, 3f.), Donatello ex-
ecuted the gilt-bronze bust reliquary to contain the skull of the saint.
Church records of the 17th century indicate that an altar and a chapel in
the Ognissanti were dedicated to Saint Rossore (Razz6li, 59f.). W. and E.
Paatz (Die Kirchen von Florenz, iv, Frankfurt am Main, 1952, 431),
citing P. Antonio Tognocchi di Terrinca (Descrizione della chiesa e del
convento di Ognissanti in Firenze, Florence, 1691), refer to a lost fresco
of "St. Rossore (?)" still visible in the church in the 1680's. For the subse-
quent history of the vicissitudes of the bust's ownership, see Janson, 57.
THE IDENTITY OF DONATELLO'S ZUCCONE 41
folds fall heavily downward and the head, too, turns
down. The fierce and despairing old man is literally
weighed down by the outsized cloak of new authority and
awesome responsibility. It is the moment when Elisha,
himself, grasps the full import of the miracle. Donatello
seized that moment and transformed a traditional formula
into a new and startling image of power.
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306
Bibliography
Janson, H. W., The Sculpture of Donatello, 2nd ed., Princeton, 1963.
Herzner, V., "Donatello und Nanni di Banco: Die Prophetenfiguren fiir
die Strebepfeiler des Florentiner Domes," Mitteilungen des Kunsthistor-
ischen Institutes in Florenz, xvII, 1973.
Lisner, M., "Josua und David: Nanni und Donatellos Statuen fuir den
Tribuna-Zyklus des Florentiner Doms," Pantheon, xxxii, 1974.
Poggi, G., II duomo di Firenze (Italienische Forschungen,
Kunsthistorisches Institut Florenz, ii), Berlin, 1909.
exceedingly original work in which many of the conven-
tions of the reliquary tradition are rejected. That tradition
was connected, during the Middle Ages, primarily with
goldsmith and silversmith workshops. The reliquaries
The bust is slightly over life-size (56cm high) and rests on a 16th-
century base (Janson, 57). The figure was cast in four pieces, excluding
the brooch seen in some photographs, and the collar. The brooch was a
later addition and has been removed from the Saint Rossore bust. Janson
believes that the collar, too, is not original. In the late 16th century the
bust came into the possession of the Cavalieri di S. Stefano in Pisa. Jan-
son suggests that the collar may have been the kind worn by the Cavalieri
and that it was added to the Saint Rossore in order to assimilate him into
their company. The collar has apparently never been removed, which has
hindered any conclusive determination regarding its authenticity. Admit-
tedly, it appears as an alien feature, especially in photographs. The
following observations, however, lead me to conclude that some collar, if
not the present one, was intended from the beginning: (1.) The neck of
Rossore in profile (Fig. 1) contains several grooves (suggesting wrinkles)
which, unlike the modeling of the rest of the figure, are schematically in-
cised and were clearly not intended to be fully visible; (2.) The drapery in
the back forms a "shelf" which easily holds the collar nestled in its folds;
(3.) The cufic lettering and decorative border of the hem of the mantle do
not continue, as close examination reveals, beneath the collar as one
would expect if no collar were intended. It is possible that the original
collar was lost or damaged and that a new one was subsequently made;
the latter perhaps reveals more of the neck in profile than was originally
intended.
42 THE ART BULLETIN MARCH 1981 VOLUME LXIII NUMBER 1
1 Donatello,ReliquaryBust of Saint Rossore,side view. Pisa,
Museo di S. Matteo (photo: H. W. Janson)
produced in these shops - both the so-called "speaking
reliquaries" (created in the form of the part of the body
from which the relic came) and the more numerous box-
like shrines - were expertly wrought objects, generally
made of precious metals, or gilded, and were frequently
embellished with gems, enamel and filigree work.2 In con-
2On the subject of reliquaries in the Middle Ages see, in particular,
Braun; von Falke and Frauberger; von Falke and Meyer; E. Kovacs,
Kopfreliquiare des Mittelalters, Budapest, 1964; E. Redslob, Deutsche
Goldschmiedeplastik, Munich, 1922; and Souchal.
3Regarding the brooch, see n. 1.
4 The entire figure is made of gilded bronze except for the eyes, which are
silver. D. Strom, citing museum restoration officials as authority,
"Studies in Quattrocento Tuscan Wooden Sculpture," Ph.D. diss.,
Princeton, 1979, 13, states that the eyes were originally enameled
realistically. Everything about the bust and the rest of Donatello's
oeuvre argues against this. It is more likely that the contrasting silver
eyes, if original, contributed, in the subdued light of the chapel, to the
intensity of the expression.
That bronze or gilt-bronze reliquaries were a rarity during the Middle
Ages may be deduced from the fact that of the approximately eighty reli-
quary heads and busts datable prior to the 15th century mentioned or
described in Braun's exhaustive study of reliquaries (see bibliog.),
only two are of bronze, both gilded: a 12th-century head in the
Stiftskirche, Melk (p. 414) and a 13th-century bust in Erfurt Cathedral
2 Detail of bust (photo: H. W. Janson)
trast, the Saint Rossore bust lacks any purely decorative
adornments,3 and the material of which it is composed, gilt
bronze, while not unprecedented for reliquary heads and
busts, is extremely rare.4
In addition to the choice of material, several other
aspects of the bust are unusual. Medieval reliquary heads
(p. 418). According to Braun (p. 424), the majority of bust reliquaries
produced before the Renaissance (extant or known through inventories)
were made of silver over a wooden core or, less frequently, of plain silver
or gilded copper. From the 14th century on, wood reliquaries with silver,
gilt, or painted surfaces become numerous. Reliquary heads or busts of
pure gold are, of course, extremely rare. Only three other bronze reli-
quaries of the type under consideration are known to me: a head in the
Kestner Museum, Hannover (von Falke and Meyer, 321b); another in
Reims (ibid., 54); and a third in the Lambert Church, Diisseldorf (von
Falke and Frauberger, 119). Others, of course, may exist or have been
destroyed; however, it becomes clear from the literature that bronze reli-
quary heads and busts are rare. The examples referred to above were all
produced outside Italy. The reliquary bust of Saint Donatus, signed by
Pietro and Paolo Aretino in 1346 at Arezzo, is described by White, 391, as
"gilt bronze" although it has traditionally been considered silver. See M.
Salmi, "L'Oreficeria medioevale nell'Aretino." Rassegna d'arte, xvI,
1916, 236-46, and idem, Civiltd artistica della terra Aretina, Novara,
1971, 77.
 DONATELLO'S SAINT ROSSORE 43

3 Bust, frontalview. Pisa, Museo di S. Matteo (photo: H. W.

Janson)
4 AndreaArditi, ReliquaryBust of Saint Zenobius.Florence,
Duomo (photo: Alinari)

and busts almost invariably have wide-open eyes and im-

mobile features, as is true, for example, of a reliquary that
was probably well known to Donatello, the early trecento
bust of Saint Zenobius, first Bishop of Florence (Fig. 4).6
In contrast to Zenobius, whose expression suggests
mystical aloofness, Rossore looks downward, his head
tilted so that deep shadows are cast over the eyes. The
forehead, moreover, is furrowed and, at the same time, the
eyebrows are contracted. The eyes, unlike those of
traditional reliquaries, are neither incised with pupils nor
enlivened with enamel but are left blank. The result is an
expression of almost fierce concentration and,
simultaneously, intense contemplation - expressions
quite alien to the conventions of the reliquary tradition.7
Finally, the features of Rossore, as many observers have
noted, are unusually individualized. The Rossore, indeed,
has been suggested as a precursor of the Early Renaissance
portrait bust, although its expression differs markedly
from the characteristically benign expressions of the latter
type (Fig. 5).8 It may be said, nevertheless, that the history 5 Antonio Rossellino,GiovanniChellini.London,Victoriaand
of reliquaries forms an important chapter in the develop- Albert Museum (photo: Museum)

s See, for example, Braun, figs. 475-77, 482-85; White, fig. 183A.
6For notes and a bibliography on the Saint Zenobius bust, see
L'oreficeria nella Firenze del Quattrocento, exh. cat., Florence, 1977,
176f.
7 A rare precedent for the downward glance is seen in a 14th-century bust
in Cividale (White, fig. 183B) in which the pupils are clearly indicated
and the brow is incised with two schematic furrows. The head, however,
with its pensive expression and stylized physiognomy, is in strong con-
trast to that of Saint Rossore.
8The portrait-like character of the bust has been commented upon by J.
Lanyi, "Problemi della critica donatelliana," Critica d'arte, Iv-v, 1939, 9-
23; Janson, 58; and I. Lavin, "On the Sources and Meaning of the
Renaissance Portrait Bust," Art Quarterly, xxxiii, 1970, 207-26. See also
J. Schuyler, Florentine Busts; Sculpted Portraiture in the Fifteenth
Century, New York, 1976, 67.
44 THE ART BULLETIN MARCH 1981 VOLUME LXIII NUMBER 1
ment of the Renaissance portrait bust for, in contrast to
painted images, reliquary heads and busts tend,
throughout the Middle Ages, toward portrayals that
suggest individual likenesses.9 But the Rossore goes
further in this direction than any earlier example, pro-
jecting not only individuality but, as indicated above, an
intense psychological presence.
The form of the Rossore, too, suggests a possible
relationship to Early Renaissance portrait busts. In con-
trast to traditional reliquary heads and busts, which
always terminate with a molding or socle, and are often set
upon claw-like or architectural supports, the figure of
Rossore, like early portrait busts, ends in a horizontal cut.
But the manner in which Donatello has chosen to ter-
minate his bust presents the viewer with a curious con-
tradiction. As Irving Lavin has pointed out, this intensely
immediate figure functions both as a "portrait" - that is, a
fragmentary image which refers to the whole person -
and as an "object," a container to house the relic. The lat-
ter function, according to the same scholar, is made ex-
plicit by means of an extraordinary device: the mantle
about Rossore's shoulders spills over onto the plane of the
support as if it were draping an object, not a person.10
This paper explores possible sources for these unusual
characteristics and suggests that the Rossore bust repre-
sents an innovation as startling in terms of the reliquary
tradition as Donatello's earlier statues are in terms of
monumental sculpture. Although in bust form, Rossore,
like Saint George from Or S. Michele and Abraham from
the Campanile of Florence - each portrayed during a
specific moment in their respective dramas - is conceived
as part of a larger narrative. I would like to suggest that
Donatello's interpretation is based upon an account of the
saint's martyrdom that was circulating in the fifteenth
century, very possibly the same medieval account from
which Boninus Mombritius's "Passio Sancti Luxorii Mar-
tyris" of ca. 1480 was copied.11
Rossore is mentioned in a number of early mar-
tyrologies which tell us only that he was a converted
soldier decapitated in Sardinia during the time of Diocle-
tian.12 We learn nothing about his physical appearance,
his life prior to the period of his martyrdom, or his age at
the time of his death. An extensive search through
hagiographical literature brings to light only one Vita of
Rossore prior to the Renaissance. Written in the twelfth
century but extant only in a fifteenth-century copy, the
9 Souchal, 214; Lavin, 211f.
10Lavin, 212.
"1B. Mombritius, Sanctuarium seu Vitae Sanctorum, ii, Paris, 1910, 63-
64. The "Passio Sancti Luxorii" is also published, with annotations, in
the Acta Sanctorum, Brussels, 1931, 454f. (Aug. 21).
12The first known reference to him is found in the
Martirologio
Geronimiano, a 5th-century compilation (erroneously attributed to Saint
Jerome) concerning Italian saints. See The Catholic Encyclopedia, Lon-
don, 1910, ix, 741. His historical existence is further assumed from the
fact that a monastery dedicated to Saints Gavino and Lussorio in Sardinia
account is found in the Stift Melk; it forms part of an ex-
tensive hagiology, the Magnum Legendarium Austriacum
which, according to Gerhard Eis, provided sources for a
large body of medieval European literature.13It is not un-
likely that the account was based upon earlier sources, and
there may have been other versions in Donatello's day;
but as the Melk Legendarium contains (to my knowledge)
the only extant "Passion" of Saint Rossore prior to that of
Mombritius, it is worth examining the text as a possible
source for Donatello's conception of the saint.
From the Legendarium we learn that the pagan soldier
Luxorius (the name was later rendered in Italian as
Rossore) happened to own a Psalter and one day began
reading the Psalms one after the other. He reached the
eighty-sixth Psalm, a part of which is quoted in the text,
and then: Quo psalmo valde perscrutato, apertus est
sensus Luxorii et festinavit esse christianus. (Rossore
scrutinized that Psalm intensely and his mind was opened,
and he hastened to become a Christian.) Luxorius began
studying and memorizing the Scriptures and, shortly af-
ter, was baptized. He soon began to neglect his military
duties, preferring to serve the Christian militia - miliciam
christianam - rather than that of the secular government
- miliciam seculi. The soldier's conversion is discovered
by the prefect Delphius and a lively debate ensues be-
tween the two who were previously, it would seem, on
rather friendly terms. Delphius asks Luxorius, "Are you
crazy to imperil your life and career in this way?" To each
interrogation Luxorius responds with quiet dignity. He is
implored, tortured, and finally threatened with death in an
effort in induce him to venerate the idols once again.
Delphius appears reluctant, however, to have Luxorius
killed as the latter was previously an exemplary soldier
destined for high honors, and so once more he attempts to
persuade the convert to sacrifice to the gods. But Luxorius
asks, "How can I possibly venerate idols of stone or gold
and silver that can neither blink at me nor open their
mouths to speak?" (In Mombritius's late fifteenth-century
version he goes on to say, "They are made of stone and
wood, and in their heads the storks build their nests, the
spiders weave their webs and the birds leave their drop-
pings!") This dialectic leaves the enraged prefect no alter-
native but to order the execution of Luxorius. The text
ends by reminding the reader that "those who call on him
[Rossore] obtain good things....
Focusing exclusively on the events leading up to and in-
is mentioned in a letter of Gregory the Great dated 599. See J.P. Migne,
Pat. Lat., LXXvII,1849, 946. In addition, see F. Lanzoni, Le diocesi d'Italia
dalle origini al principio del secolo VII, Faenza, 1927, 671f.; Bibliotheca
Sanctorum, viii, Rome, 1966, 395f.
13Cod. 677, BI. 95-96. G. Eis, "Die Quellen fiir das Sanctuarium des
Mailander Humanisten Mombritius," Germanische Studien, Bks. 138-
142, Berlin, 1933, 20ff., 80; see also idem, Die Quellen des Marterbuches,
Reichenberg i. B., 1932; repr. Hildesheim, 1975, in Prager Deutsche Stu-
dien, XLVI,10f. I am indebted to the Abbot Burkhard Ellegast of Stift
Melk for permission to study and photograph the relevant text.
 DONATELLO'S SAINT ROSSORE 45

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cluding his martyrdom, the text offers only one descrip-
tive fact about Rossore: that he was a pagan soldier. As is
true of Saint George (Fig. 9) (also an Early Christian
soldier martyred under Diocletian), Saint Rossore is
represented wearing classicizing armor. In both cases the
armor is draped with a mantle reminiscent of the military
paludamentum, a standard feature of antique military por-
traits. But unlike classical prototypes, the Renaissance
figures conspicuously lack the fibulae that invariably ac-
company such attire.14Instead, the mantle of Saint George
is knotted, while that of Saint Rossore, more ambiguously
disposed, resolves itself in a manner that suggests a loop -
dispositions common in the drapery of saints and Old
Testament figures. Examples are Donatello's marble
David in the Museo Nazionale and Nanni di Banco's
Isaiah. In the Saint George, this possible double reference
to paludamentum and saint or prophet's mantle may be
said to signal the spiritual, as opposed to merely physical,
nature of the saint's mission. In the case of the Rossore
bust, this double reference becomes a primary means of
expressing a contradiction inherent in the characterization
of the saint. For, in contrast to Saint George, who directs
his focused glance across a considerable space outside the
niche and who stands tense and alert, as any soldier facing
an adversary might stand, Rossore appears to turn inward,
his eyes unfocused and his expression deeply contem-
plative. Were it not for the armor visible under the
drapery, who would recognize that Rossore represents a
soldier? As we shall see, it is likely that Donatello wished
to portray a military figure devoid of military charac-
teristics. A possible prototype for the Rossore bust is the
portrait of Julius Caesar in the Pitti Palace (Fig. 6) (or one
similar to it).15 The Caesar portrait differs from many
other ancient military portraits in that there is little in the
carriage or expression that projects any sense of pride or
power; indeed, as in the Saint Rossore, the brows are knit-
ted and the head tilts downward slightly. Nevertheless, the
subject is clearly characterized as noble, heroic, and
powerful; these attributes are conveyed, to a large extent,
by means of the impressive swath of military drapery.
Rossore's mantle, in contrast, is far more restrained; in-
deed, however suggestive an ancient military portrait bust
may have been to Donatello, the characterization of
Rossore recalls primarily a different category of antique
statuary: portraits of poets, orators, and philosophers.
Generally bearded - compare, for example, the portrait
herm of Bias in the Vatican (Fig. 7) - such figures are fre-
quently represented with head turned downward,
furrowed brow, and contracted eyebrows to convey in-
trospection and contemplation.16

14See T. Hope, Costumes of the Greeks and Romans, New York, 1962, Francovich, "Appunti su Donatello e Jacopo della Quercia," Bollettino
xliii and pls. 251, 256, 295. The brooch in Fig. 3 is not original (see n. 1). d'arte, ix, 1929, 145ff.).
's The Caesar bust has been cited as a possible prototype for one of the 16K. Schefold, Die Bildnisse der antiken Dichter, Redner und Denker,
heads on Ghiberti's north doors (R. Krautheimer,LorenzoGhiberti,Prince- Basel, 1943, passim.
ton, 1970, 284) and also for the "Poggio" statue in the cathedral (G. de
46 THE ART BULLETIN MARCH 1981 VOLUME LXIII NUMBER 1
8 Nannidi Banco,SaintLuke(detail).Florence, 9 Donatello, Saint George(detail).Florence, 10 Donatello, Abraham and Isaac.
Museo dell'Operadel Duomo (photo: Brogi) Museo Nazionale (photo: H. W. Janson)
Now, the text of the Legendarium explicitly refers to
Rossore's intent reading of the Psalms, his absorption with
the Scriptures, and his ability to engage in dialectic,
characteristics not usually associated with military per-
sonages but rather with philosopher and orator types.
Furthermore, the text specifically states that as a servant
of the Christian militia he begins to neglect his military
duties: Animo vivens factus est ut illam miliciam seculi
negligenter sectaretur, quia miliciam christianam perhen-
niter tenebat. (Having become spiritually alive, he served
the secular militia negligently because he clung with con-
stancy to the Christian militia.) Perhaps it was the literal
and figurative uses of the word miliciam in this passage
that suggested to Donatello the ambivalent characteriza-
tion of the saint. The mantle, then, an attribute of soldier
as well as saint, is a pointed expression of this inherent
contradiction.
Another passage from the Latin account may help ex-
plain the demeanor of Saint Rossore. His conversion, it
should be noted, was inspired by his reading of the
Psalms: Quo psalmo valde perscrutato, apertus est sensus
Luxorii. Nanni di Banco, earlier, had portrayed Saint Luke
with downward glance, head and eyes turned to the pages
of the Gospel held on his lap (Fig. 8). This may have been
suggestive to Donatello. But far from actively reading, as
17Janson, 29.
Florence,Museo dell'Operadel
Duomo (photo: Alinari)
Saint Luke's focused glance may be interpreted, Rossore
would appear to be in a state of intense contemplation.
Donatello, I would suggest, portrays Rossore at the mo-
ment of enlightenment and conversion.
If so, then the Rossore bust is conceived not as a totally
self-contained image but as part of a narrative sequence
during which one important moment is isolated from the
continuum. This conception is no less innovative for a
reliquary than were the similar innovations in monumen-
tal statuary seen in the figures of Saint George and
Abraham. In the former (Fig. 9), the tense stance and sub-
tle turn of the head express alertness to sudden danger,
which may appear at any moment from outside the
niche."1 In contrast to the tension apparent in the stance
and expression of Saint George, Abraham (Fig. 10) is
represented during that moment when tension and relaxa-
tion are held in a fragile balance: the moment after the
climax of the event, that is, the moment after the angel has
stayed the execution of Isaac.18The Early Christian martyr
Rossore, then, would appear to be represented during that
moment when, while contemplating the Psalms, he is
transformed from a pagan soldier into a soldier of Christ.
As mentioned above, the Rossore bust strongly im-
presses observers as a portrait. But a portrait of whom? It
seems unlikely that Donatello copied an earlier representa-
18 Ibid., 37.
 DONATELLO'S SAINT ROSSORE 47

tion of the saint. The only record of an image of Rossore is

that in a fresco, still visible in the 1680's in the Ognissanti,
but since lost.19 The friars of the church of Ognissanti
acquired the relic from Pisa in 1422, after which they com-
missioned the bust from Donatello. It is probable, there-
fore, that the fresco is contemporary with or later than the
bust, since the friars would have had little reason to com-
mission a painting of this obscure martyr before the ac-
quisition of his relic. Nor did the sculptor follow the tradi-
tion in fresco or panel painting of the type to which
,,?~
Rossore belongs: whereas Early Christian soldiers are
generally represented as young, handsome, and beard-
less,20 Rossore is depicted as a man no longer in his
youth. In contrast to the relatively bland, idealized images
in several other early bronzes, the Saint Louis of Toulouse
and the David, for example,21this figure not only projects
an intense, almost aggressive psychological presence, but '' C
is clearly intended to suggest an individual likeness. What 1'1- ~HC'~smPlbY-~
~--T~
--~?I~YY~
1.: U
motivated Donatello in his conception of Rossore? I
should like to offer for consideration the following,
perhaps unprovable hypothesis. Lacking a prototype for
his image of the saint, and wishing to represent certain ex-
pressive qualities peculiar to the text on which his inter-
pretation was based - qualities that are alien to the tradi-
tion of reliquary busts or painted images of Early Chris- 11 School of Uccello, The Founders of Florentine Painting
tian martyrs - Donatello chose to reproduce his own (detail).Paris,Louvre(photo: Giraudon)
features and expression. Among the supposed portraits of
Donatello is the figure in the Louvre panel, The Founders
of Florentine Art, attributed to the school of Uccello.22
Although the authorship of the Louvre panel remains in
doubt, and there is good reason to believe that the painting "container" is made manifest by the drapery which ap-
(which includes five heads) is a composite of several pears to rest upon the surface supporting the bust. The
earlier images, there is also good reason to accept the sources for this device may be the similar ambiguities fre-
figure labeled Donatello (Fig. 11) as a reflection of a con- quently seen in medieval reliquaries in which the molding
temporary portrait of the sculptor.23In ca. 1425 when the or socle element also functions as part of the garment of
bust was made, Donatello would have been approximately the figure. In the bust of Saint Zenobius (Fig. 4), for in-
forty years of age. A comparison of the head of Saint stance, the escutcheons slightly overlap the horizontal
Rossore (Fig. 2) with Donatello's own impressive features socle so that a part of the sculpture that is clearly intended
as conveyed by the Louvre "portrait" reveals a striking to be read as a formal ending supporting or terminating
resemblance. The broad eyelids, high cheekbones, the the object, the reliquary, becomes by this means part of the
bulge above the nose, the small triangular bare spot above figure, the bust. As a container, the reliquary of Saint
the upper lip, the shape of the lips themselves, and the in- Rossore houses a precious, indeed potent, fragment of a
tense expression suggest that the Saint Rossore is, if only human being, and thus provides a tangible allusion to the
loosely speaking, a self-portrait. saint's temporal existence. At the same time, it is a "por-
Be that as it may, it is clear that Donatello considered trait" of the saint which, by its nature, alludes to his
deeply the nature and function of a reliquary and chose a spiritual existence and thus acts as a stimulus to the faith
form expressive of its dual purpose. That it is an object, a and courage of the viewer. This same dualism may be im-

19See n. 1. Rossore is not included in G. Kaftal's Iconography of the
Saints in Tuscan Painting, Florence, 1952; Iconography of the Saints in
Central and South Italian Schools of Painting, Florence, 1965;
Iconography of the Saints in the Painting of North East Italy, Florence,
1978. There are no references to him in the Princeton Index. Of the
following sources, only the last two (as indicated) include his name: M.
L. Guenebault, Dictionnaire iconographique des figures, legendes et actes
des Saints, Paris, 1850; E. Kirschbaum, et al., Lexikon der christlichen
Ikonographie, Rome, Freiburg, Basel, Vienna, 1971; K. Kunstle,
Ikonographie der christlichen Kunst, Freiburg im Breisgau, 1926; L.
Reau, Iconographie de l'art chritien, III,Paris, 1959, 1173 (with reference
only to the reliquary); E. Ricci, Mille santi nell'arte, Milano, 1931, 573
(with reference only to the reliquary).
20
Kaftal, Tuscan Painting, passim.
21 Theeffigy of Baldassare Coscia, for obvious reasons, is an exception.
22J. Pope-Hennessy, The Complete Work of Paolo Uccello, London,
1950, 154-56.
23J. Lanyi, "The Louvre Portrait of Five Florentines," Burlington
Magazine, 1944, 94-5.
48 THE ART BULLETINMARCH 1981 VOLUME LXIII NUMBER 1
plicit in the very choice of gilt bronze for an object
traditionally wrought in precious metal. One might sup-
pose that the commission called for the imitation, in a less
expensive material, of a traditional silver-gilt or gold
reliquary. But in contrast to medieval heads and busts in
which the smooth and highly finished surfaces are
enlivened with color and sparkle, the Rossore bust is force-
fully modeled, the broad plastic planes interrupted by
grooves and hollows that catch the light and produce deep
shadows, and the figure is completely bare of any added
decorative adornments.24The result is an unprecedented
monumentality quite alien to the tradition of the gold- or
silversmith. Nevertheless, if we can imagine the bust in its
probable original setting upon an altar,2sits gilded surface
presumably illuminated by candles, the figure of Rossore
must have produced the effect of preciousness demanded
of reliquaries throughout the Middle Ages. At the same
time, the figure, in the naturalism and intensity of its ex-
pression, must have been extraordinarily evocative of an-
cient portraiture, many examples of which were cast in
bronze, as was well known in the Renaissance. Indeed, the
Rossore bust brings to mind a statement concerning an-
tique sculpture made by Donatello's friend, the humanist
and collector of ancient art, Poggio Bracciolini: "I am
greatly delighted by sculptures and bronzes made in
memory of the excellent men of old. I am forced to admire
their genius and art since they render a mute and lifeless
thing as if it breathed and spoke; often, indeed, they
represent even the emotions of the soul so that a thing
which can feel neither pain nor joy looks to you as if it
laughed or mourned.'"26 Implicit in Poggio's statement is
an appreciation of the skill of the ancient portraitist,
whether working in marble or bronze, and it is quite possi-
ble that the choice of bronze on the part of Donatello and
his patrons was dictated by its association with antique
portraiture.
Donatello's unique gilt-bronze reliquary, then, while
rooted in the long tradition of head and bust reliquaries,
represents a tremendous break with the medieval tradi-
tion. The impression made by the Rossore on a generation
accustomed to the colorism and inaccessible aloofness of a
24 See n. 1.
25 Razzoli, 59f.
26Delector enim admodum sculpturis ac caelaturis in memoriam
priscorum excellentium virorum, quorum ingenia atque artem admirari
cogor, cum rem mutam atque inanem, veluti spirantem ac loquentem re-
figure such as the Saint Zenobius (Fig. 4) must have been
profound. For, while we are prepared to read most earlier
reliquary busts as "objects" with human form,
Donatello's bust, with its individualized features,
naturalism, and expressiveness, is insistently human - but
because of the mantle which drapes the figure and spills
onto the table or support, behaves as if it were an object!
Ironically, in representing this saint - who refused to
venerate objects of'gold and silver that "can neither blink
... nor open their mouths to speak" - Donatello sought,
in Poggio's words, to "render a mute and lifeless thing as
if it breathed and spoke." Standing before this presence,the
worshipper must have been easily induced to appeal to the
saint, following the advice of the closing words of the
"Passion of Saint Rossore" in the Magnum Legendarium
Austriacum: "Those who call on him obtain good things.
..." But the gilt surface together with the drapery device
restore the balance in a work that surpassed all earlier reli-
quary busts in its spiritual and psychological realism, thus
reminding the viewer that it is the venerated object con-
tained within, and not the container itself, that is the in-
strument through which God works miracles and through
which the intercession of the saint is obtained.
12 East 86th Street
New York, NY 10028
Bibliography
Braun, J., Die Reliquiare des christlichen Kultes und ihre Entwicklung,
Freiburg-im-Breisgau, 1940
Falke, 0. von, and H. Frauberger, Deutsche Schmelzarbeiten des
Mittelalters, Frankfurt am Main, 1904
Falke, 0. von, and E. A. Meyer, Bronzegerite des Mittelalters, Berlin,
1935
Janson, H. W., The Sculpture of Donatello, Princeton, 1953
Razzoli, R., La Chiesa d'Ognissanti in Firenze, Florence, 1898
Souchal, F., "Les Bustes reliquaires et la sculpture," Gazette des beaux-
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White, J., Art and Architecture in Italy: 1250-1400, Baltimore, 1966
dunt, in quibus persaepe etiam passiones animi ita repraesentant, ut quod
neque laetari, neque dolere potest, similem ridenti ac tristanti conspicias;
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