Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi, better known as Donatello, was born in 1386 in Florence, Italy. His father, Niccolo di Betto Bardi, was a member of the Arte della Lana which was the wool guild of Florence at the time. While growing up Donatello received most of his education in the house of the Martelli family, who were a noble Florentine family and received some artistic training in a goldsmith workshop. As a teenager, Donatello assisted Lorenzo Ghiberti, a local sculptor and learned the Gothic style of art. For instance, from 1409 to 1411 he undertook the sculpture of Saint John the Evangelist for the Baptistery of Florence cathedral. The sculpture is significant because it is considered to be an important step forward in both Gothic styled art and Renaissance art. He received a retirement allowance from the Medici family, which was one of the most influential families of the Renaissance, however Donatello continued to sculpt. He died in December of 1466 leaving some unfinished works, which were completed by his student Bertoldo di Giovanni. Donatello is now considered to be one of the most influential individual Italian artists of the 15th century, and a major artistic figure in the European Renaissance.