Donatello. Italian 1386-1466
Bronze (In Padua); plaster cast, height: c. 340 cm.

The equestrian statue is a monument to the Italian commander Erasmo da Narni, also called Gattamelata. It was executed 1443-53 by the famous Florentine sculptor Donatello and can be seen in bronze in the cathedral square in Padua. The statue is almost 3.5 m high, and the plaster cast in Vestindisk Pakhus goes through two floors, so that on the second floor it is possible to study many details that cannot be seen in Padua.

Gattamelata was the first equestrian statue to stand by itself on a public square since the time of the Roman emperors. During the Middle Ages equestrian statues occurred as part of the architecture and sepulchral monuments.

Donatello has combined antique and contemporary features. The statue of the horse was influenced both by the statue of Marcus Aurelius in Rome and the horses on St. Mark''s Square in Venice, and the rider has similarities to Roman portraits and statues of emperors.

These sources of inspiration can also be seen in the Royal Cast Collection as well as other important works by Donatello.