ss of Mantua, and the author's mother, as well as by men. Niccol Machiavelli, lived from 1469–1527. He was an Italian political philosopher and statesman. As defense secretary of the Florentine republic he substituted a citizens' militia for the mercenary system. Through diplomatic missions he became acquainted with power politics, meeting such leaders as Cesare Borgia. When the Medici family returned to power (1512) he was dismissed, and briefly imprisoned and tortured. He then retired to his country estate, where he wrote on politics. His most famous work, The Prince (1532), describes the means by which a leader may gain and maintain power. His “ideal” prince is an amoral and calculating tyrant capable of unifying Italy. Despite the ruthless connotation of the term Machiavellian, such works as the Discourses (1531) and the History of Florence (1532) express republican principles. Machiavelli also wrote poems and plays, notably the comedy Mandragola (1524). ?Equestrian statue of Gattamelata, bronze sculpture by DonatelloDonatello c.1386–1466, was an Italian sculptor, a major innovator in Renaissance art. He was born in Florence as Donato di Niccol di Betto Bardi. He assisted Ghiberti in Florence and worked on its cathedral. His sculptures developed from Gothic forms, e.g., the marble David (Bargello, Florence) to strong, humanistic expression, e.g., St. Mark. He developed a shallow relief technique (schiacciato) with which he achieved effects of spatial depth. In Rome he studied ancient monuments that influenced his sculpture. Donatello headed a vast workshop in Padua (1443–53). His late Florentine masterworks include the Magdalen and the pulpits of San Lorenzo. ?"Moses," marble sculpture for the tomb of Pope Julius II by MichelangeloMichelangelo Buonarroti lived from 1475–1564, he was an Italian sculptor, painter, and poet. He was a towering figure of Renaissance mannerist, and baroque art. From 149...
