The Reliquary of San Rossore in gilded bronze is a work by Donatello, dating back to about 1424-1427 and preserved in the National Museum of San Matteo in Pisa. It was commissioned by the monks of Ognissanti as they came into possession of the relic of the skull of San Lussorio (popularly called San Rossore), a Roman soldier who converted to Christianity and was beheaded in Sardinia at the time of Diocletian. To honour this precious relic a reliquary was commissioned in the form of a bust.
Made of gilded bronze, it was characterized by a true portrait “alla romana” with great care of all the details, the face, the fabrics and the armour of the soldier. Some details are reproduced from ancient portraits, such as the definition of the short beard with engraved dashes. The face has strong and expressive features. In this work Donatello used corrections related to the point of view of the observer: the saint looks down because his original location was on top, where he could not be stolen.
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