Gattamelata, Il (1370–1443)

Condottiere from Padua, whose name in Italian means ‘honeyed cat’. He learnt his trade with Braccio da Montone and Niccolò Piccinnio (1386–1444). He was first employed by the Florentine and papal armies, and then in 1434 entered the service of Venice. During the Venetian republic's wars with the Visconti of Milan, he developed a reputation for determined resourcefulness; he rose to become captain-general of the city. A celebrated equestrian statue of him by Donatello stands outside the Church of the Santo in Padua. His funerary monument was designed by Bartolommeo Bellano.