Lorenzo Ghiberti and the Gates of Paradise Flashcards
Q: Who was Lorenzo Ghiberti?
A: Ghiberti (1381–1455) was a leading bronze sculptor of the early Renaissance in Florence. Trained initially as a goldsmith, he became famous after winning the 1401 competition to design the North Doors of the Florence Baptistery
Q: What major doors did Ghiberti create, and how long did they take?
A: Ghiberti created two sets of Baptistery doors:
North Doors (1403–1425): Depict the Life of Christ.
East Doors, Gates of Paradise (1425–1452): Took 27 years to complete and depict Old Testament scenes.
GHIBERTI NORTHERN DOORS CONTEXT
-In 1401 Ghiberti won a prestigious competition held to find the best sculptor to make a new set of doors for the North entrance to Florence’s Baptistery.
-The finalists in this competition were Ghiberti and Brunelleschi, each creating a panel showing the sacrifice of Isaac. Ghiberti won the competition.
-He worked on thse for 20 years then awarded a commission for the next set of doors, the gates of paradise
Q: What technique did Ghiberti rediscover, and why is it significant?
A: Ghiberti rediscovered the Lost Wax technique for casting in bronze, a method originally used by Ancient Romans. This allowed for intricate and large-scale bronze works.
Q: Which artists trained in Ghiberti’s workshop?
A: Ghiberti’s workshop trained notable artists, including Donatello, Masolino, Michelozzo, Uccello, and Antonio Pollaiuolo.
Q: What is the significance of the Florence Baptistery?
A: The Baptistery of Florence Cathedral is an octagonal Tuscan Romanesque building dedicated to San Giovanni (John the Baptist), the patron saint of Florence. It symbolized civic pride as all Florentines were baptized there.
Q: How did Florentines view the Baptistery historically?
A: Fifteenth-century Florentines mistakenly believed the Baptistery was originally a Roman temple dedicated to Mars, symbolizing the triumph of Christianity over paganism.
Q: Who were the patrons of the Baptistery doors?
A: The Calimala Guild (cloth merchants), one of the wealthiest guilds in Florence, oversaw the Baptistery and commissioned the bronze doors.
Q: What were the motives behind commissioning the Gates of Paradise?
A:
Thank John the Baptist for protecting the city.
Enrich the city’s artistic life.
Advertise the Calimala Guild’s wealth and power.
Rival the Lana Guild in a spirit of competition.
Q: How did Ghiberti gain artistic freedom for the Gates of Paradise?
A: Ghiberti convinced the patrons to abandon the quatrefoil panel format (used in the North Doors) in favor of square panels, inspired by Donatello’s work on the Siena Baptistery font.
Q: What is depicted on the Gates of Paradise?
A: Ten square panels depict Old Testament scenes, from the Creation of Adam and Eve to the Meeting of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
Q: What is notable about the frames of the Gates of Paradise?
A: The frames feature statuettes of prophets and sibyls, with ornate foliage and flora showing Ghiberti’s interest in nature. Ghiberti also included self-portraits of himself and his son as door handles. (shows humanist influence prevalent)
Q: What innovative narrative techniques did Ghiberti use?
A:
-Continuous Narrative: Multiple events shown within a single panel.
-Relief Variations:
High relief for foreground figures.
Mezzo relief for middle-ground.
Low relief for background.
-Perspective: Linear and aerial perspective enhance depth.
-Diminishing Scale: Figures decrease in size with distance.
difference between upper and lower panels in terms of relief
*In the upper panels he employs high relief so that figures stick out more and are legible to viewers be-low. The lowest panels are in lower relief for the same reason: legibility.
How many narratives are included in the 10 relief panels
30
Q: How is continuous narrative used in the Jacob and Esau panel?
A: Key scenes, such as Esau’s hunt and Isaac blessing Jacob, are depicted in different spatial locations within the same panel, linked by schiacciato relief and perspective. Figures become smaller and flatter as they recede into the background.
What enhances the spatial and linear depth in Jacob and Esau panel
Use of single-point perspective with receding tiles.
Grouping of figures to guide the viewer’s eye.
Overlapping figures and extending elements beyond the frame.
uses schiacciato relief deriving from Donatello’s sculpture and the single-point perspective system allow the space to recede,
Ghiberti structured the perspective system so that the viewer focuses both on the narrative and on its creator (whose name is also incised under the relief). This is also an example of the elevation of the status of the artist
Q: What materials and techniques did Ghiberti use for the Gates of Paradise?
-Lost Wax Casting: Allowed intricate bronze work.
Fire Gilding: A dangerous technique using mercury and gold to create a luminous surface.
Bronze Alloy: Difficult to cast but highly receptive to gilding.
Q: How did antiquity influence Ghiberti?
A:
Classical nudes (e.g., Adam and Eve) recall Roman prototypes.
Roman architectural elements, such as round arches, are integrated.
: What elements of International Gothic are present?
Elongated figures (e.g., in Eve’s creation).
Intricate/ elaborate drapery on figures like God at the top.
-God on the left wears drapery that hides the anatomy
Use of gold leaf.
Q: How does the Renaissance style appear in the Gates of Paradise?
A:
CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY
adam on left recalls classical river gods
eve on the right adopts venus’s pose
ROUND ARCH REMINISCENT OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
HUMANISM
Psychological realism (e.g., God’s expression).
Contrapposto poses of figure in Jacob and Esau panel
Linear and aerial perspective in Jacob and Esau panel
Range of relief from high to low, and even rilievo schiacchiato, demonstrates virtuosity in handling continuous narrative.
Q: How did the Gates of Paradise serve a religious function?
A:
Celebrated Florence’s patron saint, John the Baptist.
Expressed gratitude to God for the city’s prosperity.
Aimed to ensure the salvation of the patrons who commissioned the doors.
How did the Gates of Paradise serve civic functions?
Boosted civic pride by showcasing artistic innovation.
Placed Florence at the center of Christian history, completing the narrative from Pisano’s South Doors and Ghiberti’s North Doors.
where on the grid
religious sculpture, florence
HOW IS THE UNION OF EASTERN AND WESTERN CHURCHES DEPICTED
: The Meeting of Solomon and Sheba at the bottom right of the doors is rarely depicted in this period
-uninon of eastern and western churches in this period was announced on the steps of Florence’s Duomo on July 9th, 1439,
-The Eastern Church is metaphorically represented by Sheba, the queen who came to Solomon ‘from the east’, while the Western Church is represented by Solomon. The doors ultimately were placed to face the steps of the Duomo where the decree of union had been read.
where are the doors today
*Today, the original, beautifully restored bronze doors are displayed in the recently refurbished Museo Del’Opera del Duomo (The Cathedral works museum). There are copies in place on the east front of the Baptistery.
ghiberti quote on trying to imitate nature closely
*Ghiberti: “In this work I sought to imitate nature as closely as possible, both in proportions and in per-spective…”
