Early Life and Artistic Beginnings Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, universally known as Donatello, was born in Florence around 1386 – a time of immense artistic ferment within the burgeoning Renaissance city. His early life remains somewhat shrouded in mystery, but it’s understood that he received his initial training not within a formal academy, but through apprenticeship with various stone carvers working on the magnificent Duomo…