Miracle of the Mule

The group called the Altare del Santo composed altogether of twenty-nine pieces of sculpture. Among them, four bas-reliefs in bronze with the miracles of St Anthony (Miracle of the Ass, Miracle of the New-born Child, Miracle of the Repentant Son, Miracle of the Avaricious Man's Heart). In the Miracles series Donatello adopted flattened relief on a roughened surface which served to break up the light and diffuse it, thus achieving a luminous atmosphere in which the incorporeal images appear to float. Never until now had architecture played such a prominent part in narrative relief scenes. In the Miracles it is the rhythm of the architecture that unites the jostling crowd and is felt to be the chief protagonist. In the Miracle of the Ass, an ass, which had previously stubbornly refused its food, sinks to its knees in front of a host which Anthony holds out to it. Those around observe the miracle of the ass with the greatest amazement.名为圣徒祭坛（Altare del Santo）的雕塑组共计由29件雕塑作品组成。其中包含四件青铜浅浮雕，主题为圣安东尼神迹系列，涵盖《驴的神迹（Miracle of the Ass）》《新生儿神迹（Miracle of the New-born Child）》《浪子回头神迹（Miracle of the Repentant Son）》与《吝啬鬼之心神迹（Miracle of the Avaricious Man's Heart）》。 在该神迹系列中，雕塑家多纳泰罗（Donatello）采用了粗糙基底上的浅平浮雕技法：该技法可打散并漫射光线，由此营造出空灵朦胧的光影氛围，令作品中的无形形象仿佛悬浮其中。此前从未有建筑元素在叙事性浮雕场景中占据如此突出的地位，在这套神迹系列中，建筑的韵律将拥挤喧闹的人群串联为整体，成为作品当之无愧的核心主角。 在《驴的神迹》中，那头此前一直执拗拒食的驴子，在安东尼向其递出的圣体前屈膝下跪，周遭观者无不惊叹于这一驴的神迹。