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The story behind the Gates of Paradise. Ghiberti won a contest in 1401 (held by the Wool Merchants Guild, which was headed by the Medici family) to create a first set of doors for the Baptistery, which took him 21 years and made him a local celebrity. But the subject of this post is Ghiberti’s masterpiece, the second set of doors he created ...
Now Florence Cathedral is the third largest Cathedral in the world. It holds 44 stained glass windows, the biggest brick dome in the world, artistic sculptures and more. This article shares everything you need to know about the Florence Cathedral’s interiors before you visit.
- The East Door
- The South Door
- The North Door
- Guided Tours with The Florence Baptistery Doors
The history of the Florence Baptistery’s East Door
The work on the East door drew its inspiration from the Old Testament. According to the famous Italian historian and architect, Giorgio Vasari, Michelangelo named this door “Heaven’s Door” after seeing it for the first time. Lorenzo Ghiberti worked on this portion of the Baptistery doors from 1425 until 1452. What we see today, however, is a copy of the original panels. Removed after the tragic Florence alluvion in 1966, the originals are currently in the Museum dell’Opera del Duomo.
Why was Ghiberti chosen?
In 1424, the Florence jury entrusted Ghiberti with the decoration of the door. He did not have to compete with other artists. The jury also decided to grant the artist total freedom as long as he portrayed some of the stories from the Old Testament selected by the fine historian Leonardo Bruni. Ghiberti chose the Salvation as the main theme. By carefully organizing the panel dispositions, he wanted to remind people of the importance of God’s sacrifice and to create a rising emotional journey.
What does the East Door depict?
The first two upper panels show Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel. The lower panels portray various characters from the Old Testament such as Noah, Joseph, and Abram. When viewed in sequence, you experience a rising sense of drama in the panels and, at the same time, the salvational power of God. Also, this door is one of the first examples of the use of modern perspective in art. Ghiberti spent the last years of his life working on these panels. During the final period of decoration, he was hel...
Who created the Florence Baptistery South Door panels?
The city of Florence searched for a long time for the right artist to decorate this door. The first artisan entrusted with the work was Piero di Jacopo. However, they found the final result disappointing and decided not to display these panels. Instead, they chose to keep looking for another artist. In 1329, they chose Andrea Pisano who worked on the project until 1336. It took more than a whole year for them to trust in Pisano’s potential. He was studied by the jury for a long time and had t...
What does the South Door depict?
Pisano decided to decorate the first 20 panels with the most important episodes from the life of John the Baptist, dedicating the South Door to the history of John the Baptist. For the remaining eight panels, Pisano decided to reproduce the four theological virtues and the four human virtues. The final message of these panels is the eternal contrast between life (left panels) and death (right panels). To find the real peculiarity of these panels, we have to observe their style and they seem t...
The famous Gates of Paradise
Sixty-five years after Pisano’s South Door, the Florence administration decided to run a public contest to find an artist to decorate the North Door. Among other names, those of Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi appeared. There are still many rumors about the actual winner of the contest. Ghiberti affirms in his autobiography that he was the only winner, while other sources mention a tie between the two artists. Despite the rumors, the Florentine administration entrusted Ghiberti with...
What do the Gates of Paradise depict?
In the decorated panels, the artist portrayed all the stories from the New Testament from the Annunciation to the Pentecost. The panels should be viewed starting from the bottom upwards. Ghiberti chose this disposition to underline the sense of tragedy in the Christ Passion. You can see Ghiberti’s self-portrait in the 26th panel, which was probably the first self-portrait executed during the Renaissance. Every panel is finely decorated and detailed with plants and landmarks. Ghiberti was one...
With all of the city’s art, history, and beautiful architecture, Florence is a great city to see with a passionate guide. They’ll bring all the landmarks and works of art to life with historical insight and fascinating stories. In our Florence in a Day Combo Tour with David and Uffizi, our expert local guide will describe the history, architecture,...
There are two side doors: the Doors of the Canonici (south side) and the Door of the Mandorla (north side) with sculptures by Nanni di Banco, Donatello, and Jacopo della Quercia. The six side windows, notable for their delicate tracery and ornaments, are separated by pilasters.
Dec 10, 2019 · The Baptistery doors are about 5 meters tall and 3 meters wide, weigh 8 tons, and were made between 1330 and 1452. The three doors can be seen together in the museum's Sala del Paradiso, where the north and east doors, the work of Lorenzo Ghiberti, were already on display.
Dec 1, 2019 · These doors now face south, but initially faced east, towards the Duomo. They were moved in 1452, replaced by newer designs. These doors depict stories from the Old Testament. The Merchants Guild of Florence commissioned Pisano to build these doors. They were one of the wealthiest guilds in the city and as such, could afford such an expensive ...
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Florence kicked off the Renaissance in the early 1400s. Its Duomo had been built without a dome — only a hole in the roof — waiting to be gloriously capped by Brunelleschi. The Baptistery features another tour de force: Ghiberti’s doors, with their realistic 3-D relief.
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