Lorenzo+Ghiberti

Lorenzo Ghiberti was born in 1378 and died in 1455. He is well known for being one of the important early Renaissance sculptors, with his works including the doors (called the Gates of Paradise) to the Cathedral of Florence. The Cathedral of Florence is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of Italian art in the Quattrocento. Ghiberti’s mother was married to Cione Ghiberti, but she was also the common law wife to a goldsmith name Bartolo di Michele. Ghiberti said that both of them were his fathers at different points in his life, but he regularly considered himself Barolo’s son because Bartolo was the one who trained him as a goldsmith. In addition to his training as a goldsmith, he was also trained as a painter and left Florence in 1400 with Pesaro. However, after hearing about the competition for the commission to make the bronze doors for the Bapistery of the Cathedral of Florence, he returned in 1401. They were tasked with representing the biblical scene of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac in a bronze relief of quatrefoil shape, which followed the tradition of the first set of doors made by Pisano. Eventually, it came down to Ghiberti and Brunelleschi. The panels Ghiberti made showed grace and lively composition in addition to his mastery of goldsmith arts. In 1402 he was chosen to make the doors, and the contract was signed in 1403 with Bartolo’s workshop. Bartolo’s workshop became an overnight success—becoming the most prestigious in Florence overnight. Ghiberti took over in 1407, with him finishing the doors in 1424. However, the doors weren’t his only project. For the cathedral he also made stained-glass windows and he was an architectural consultant to the cathedral building supervisors. He got a commission from The Arte dei Mercani di Calimala, the guild of merchant bankers, in 1412 to make a life size bronze statue of their patron saint John the Baptist. His work on both St. John and St. Matthew brought him competition from artists such as Donatello and Nanni di Banco.

Gates of Paradise:

Sacrifice of Isaac:



Saint Matthew:



Saint John:

Ghiberti Self-Portrait:

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