Lorenzo Ghiberti (, , ; di Bartolo; 1378 – 1 December 1455) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor from Florence, a key figure in the Early Renaissance, best known as the creator of two sets of bronze doors of the Florence Baptistery, the later one called by Michelangelo the Gates of Paradise. Trained as a goldsmith and sculptor, he established an important workshop for sculpture in metal. His book of Commentarii contains important writing on art, as well as what may be the earliest surviving autobiography by any artist.

Ghiberti's career was dominated by his two successive commissions for pairs of bronze doors to the Florence Baptistery (Battistero di San Giovanni). They are recognized as a major masterpiece of the Early Renaissance, and were famous and influential from their unveiling.

Early life

Ghiberti was born in 1378 in Pelago, a comune 20 km from Florence. It is said that Lorenzo was the son of Cione di Ser Buonaccorso Ghiberti and Fiore Ghiberti. When the bubonic plague struck Florence in 1400, Ghiberti moved to Rimini.

In Rimini, he was fortunate enough to receive employment by Carlo I Malatesta, where he assisted in the completion of frescoes on the walls of the castle. There is a Latin inscription on top of the door: "Andreas Ugolini Nini de Pisis me fecit A.D. MCCCXXX" (Andrea Pisano made me in 1330). The South Doors were undergoing restoration during September, 2016.

1401 competition

In 1401, the Arte di Calimala (Cloth Importers Guild) announced a competition to design doors that eventually would be placed on the north side of the baptistry. The original location for these doors was the east side of the baptistry, but the doors were moved to the north side of the baptistry after Ghiberti completed his second commission, known as the "Gates of Paradise".

These new doors would serve as a votive offering to celebrate Florence being spared from relatively recent scourges such as the Black Death in 1348. Each participant was given four tables of brass and was required to make a relief of the “Sacrifice of Isaac” on a piece of metal that was the size and shape of the door panels. The pieces of the figures themselves were all hollowed out on the inside. Due to the methods by which Ghiberti made the panel, it ended up being stronger, used less bronze, and had less weight than Brunelleschi's panel. By using less bronze, the panels were also more cost-efficient. Including the aspect of the art itself, these differences were included on how the council of the competition decided on the victor.

After the competition

After the competition, Ghiberti's father, Bartolo, assisted him greatly in perfecting the design of his door before it was cast. The eight lower panels show the four evangelists and the Church Fathers: Saint Ambrose, Saint Jerome, Saint Gregory and Saint Augustine. The panels are surrounded by a framework of foliage in the door case and gilded busts of prophets and sibyls at the intersections of the panels. Originally installed on the east side in place of Pisano's doors, they were later moved to the north side. They are described by the art historian Antonio Paolucci as "the most important event in the history of Florentine art in the first quarter of the fifteenth century".

The bronze statues over the northern gate depict John the Baptist preaching to a Pharisee and Sadducee and were sculpted by Francesco Rustici. Rustici may have been aided in his design by Leonardo da Vinci, who assisted him in the choice of his tools.

After completion of the doors

After the completion of these doors, Ghiberti was widely recognized as a celebrity and the top artist in this field. He was given many commissions, including some from the pope. In 1425, he got a second commission for the Florence Baptistery, this time for the east doors, on which he and his workshop (including Michelozzo and Benozzo Gozzoli) toiled for 27 years, excelling themselves. The subjects of the designs for the doors were chosen by Leonardo Bruni d'Arezzo, then chancellor of the Republic of Florence. They have ten panels depicting scenes from the Old Testament, and were in turn installed on the east side. The panels are large rectangles and are no longer embedded in the traditional Gothic quatrefoil, as in the previous doors. Ghiberti employed the recently discovered principles of perspective to give depth to his compositions. Each panel depicts more than one episode. "The Story of Joseph" portrays the narrative scheme of Joseph Cast by His Brethren into the Well, Joseph Sold to the Merchants, The merchants delivering Joseph to the pharaoh, Joseph Interpreting the Pharaoh's dream, The Pharaoh Paying him Honour, Jacob Sends His Sons to Egypt and Joseph Recognizes His Brothers and Returns Home. According to Vasari's Lives, this panel was the most difficult and also the most beautiful. The figures are distributed in very low relief in a perspective space (a technique invented by Donatello and called rilievo schiacciato, which literally means "flattened relief"). Ghiberti uses different sculptural techniques, from incised lines to almost free-standing figure sculpture within the panels, further accentuating the sense of space.

The panels are included in a richly decorated gilt framework of foliage and fruit, with many statuettes of prophets and 24 busts. The two central busts are portraits of the artist and of his father, Bartolomeo Ghiberti.

The Annunciation panel portrays the scene with an angel dressed in a robe, wings, and a trumpet appearing to Mary, who is shown in an expression of shock, leaving a doorway. The Nativity panel depicts the birth of Christ with an ox, a donkey, Joseph and Mary, an angel, and the shepherds. All the characters in the panel are all depicted near a cave, while all but Mary are showing reverence towards her. The Adoration of the Magi panel shows the three magi giving praise to Christ and Mary, with Joseph and angels in the background. In the Christ Among the Doctors panel, Christ is depicted as a child sitting upon a throne-like chair surrounded by the doctors in discussion with him. The narrative of the doctors being shocked of how intelligently Christ spoke is demonstrated by how all the doctors are speaking to each other in intense discussion around Christ. The Baptism of Christ panel, Christ is shown surrounded by spectators, a dove, and his cousin, John the Baptist, being baptized in a river. The background includes intensely detailed trees with leaves, rocks, and a flowing river. The Temptation of Christ panel is shown with Christ surrounded by angels while facing the fallen angel, Satan, standing upon rocks. Satan is depicted as a human with bat-like wings and robes. The Chasing the Merchants Away panel depicts the scene with by Christ pushing away a group of merchants with his fists raised inside the temple. The temple in the background is depicted by columns and arches with complex designs; the merchants are also shown holding goods while being pushed away. The Christ Walking on Water panel displays Jesus standing on water and the disciples at sea while Peter is drowning. The panel shows a ship detailed with sails, shown to have the individual ropes from the mast as well as the ship itself having artistic designs. The ocean is also detailed with the waves flowing, and where Jesus stands on the water, it bends down to show him standing on it. The Transfiguration panel shows Jesus standing with the prophets Moses and Elijah over his disciples Peter, James, and John. The awe of the three disciples is expressed by them being on the ground and looking away from Christ and the prophets. The Raising of Lazarus panel shows Lazarus leaving his tomb being surrounded by Christ, his sisters, and disciples. The awe of the sisters of Lazarus is shown by one of them on the ground, and the other is grabbing Lazarus while kneeling. The Entry into Jerusalem panel shows Christ riding upon a donkey, being greeted by a large crowd with the gates of Jerusalem in the background. Each individual in the crowd has a distinct face with different hairstyles and clothes. The Last Supper panel shows the well-known scene in the New Testament of Christ eating with the twelve disciples. The background is decorated with grapes on the columns and drapes in the background, while Christ is at the head of the table, and the disciples are sitting in unison. The Agony in the Garden panel shows Christ praying towards an angle and disciples sleeping behind him. The imagery of the garden is highly detailed with bushes, rocks, and trees. The Christ Being Captured panel shows Christ being marked by Judas to be arrested by the Roman soldiers while disciples are struggling against the soldiers. The soldiers each have individualized armour and weapons, such as a spear, axe, and sword. The Flagellation panel depicts Jesus being flogged by the Roman soldiers holding rods in a swinging motion. The Crucifixion panel of the North Doors depicts the scene with Mary and John at the foot of the cross, mourning with angels next to Christ hanging. Mary is shown to be in mourning, with her looking down away from the cross. Although the overall quality of the casting is considered exquisite, there are some known mistakes. For example, in panel 15 of the North Doors (Flagellation) the casting of the second column in the front row has been overlaid over an arm, so that one of the flagellators appears trapped in stone, with his hand sticking out of it.

Michelangelo referred to these doors as fit to be the "Gates of Paradise" (It. Porte del Paradiso), and they are still invariably referred to by this name. Giorgio Vasari described them a century later as "undeniably perfect in every way and must rank as the finest masterpiece ever created". Ghiberti himself said they were "the most singular work that I have ever made".

In 2007, the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibited The Gates of Paradise: Lorenzo Ghiberti's Renaissance Masterpiece, an exhibition of “three of the doors' famous narrative reliefs, with their masterful retelling of Old Testament subjects, as well as four figural sections from their opulent surrounding frames, before they are permanently installed in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.”

The bronze statues for Orsanmichele

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StJohntheBaptistGhiberti.JPG|St. John the Baptist

Orsanmichele, san matteo di Ghiberti 02.JPG|St. Matthew

Statue at Chiesa di Orsanmichele (15609454329).jpg|St. Stephen

</gallery>

St. John the Baptist

The St. John the Baptist statue sits in a niche of the Orsanmichele in Florence, which was built from 1412–-1416. This statue is based on the St. John the Baptist. Ghiberti's masterpiece was commissioned by the Arte di Calimala guild, which was the wool merchants' guild. They were one of the wealthiest in Florence. This statue was a technological advance for its time. Ghiberti had incredible casting skill to be able to bond this 8’ 4” statue made of bronze. Ghiberti's statue was influenced by the Gothic style in Italy, shown by the elegant curves of the sword and drapery.

St. Matthew

This statue was commissioned by the Arte del Cambio, the bankers' guild and executed by Ghiberti between 1419 and 1423. The Saint Matthew statue reaches a height of 8’ 10” of bronze. It is also located in a niche in the Orsanmichele in Florence. The guild specified they wanted their statue to be as tall as or taller than the St. John the Baptist statue.

St. Stephen

He constructed a statue of St. Stephen for the Arte della Lana (Wool Manufacturers' Guild).

Later life, family, and death

By 1417 Lorenzo Ghiberti was married to Marsila, the 16- year-old daughter of Bartolommeo di Lucca, a worthy comb-maker. Together they had two sons. In 1417, they had Tommaso Ghiberti, and a year later they had Vittorio Ghiberti. Ghiberti was wealthier than most of his contemporary artists, with his success bringing him great financial rewards. A surviving tax return of 1427 shows he owned a considerable amount of land both in Florence and outside the city. He also had a substantial amount of money invested in government bonds to his credit. Over the years, his real estate and monetary holdings continued to grow.

Ghiberti's "Commentario" includes the earliest known surviving autobiography of an artist. He discusses the development of art from the time of Cimabue through to his own work. In describing his second bronze portal for the Florence Baptistry, he states: "In this work I sought to imitate nature as closely as possible, both in proportions and in perspective... the buildings appear as seen by the eye of one who gazes on them from a distance." The language Ghiberti used to describe his art has proved invaluable to art historians in understanding the aims Renaissance artists were striving for in their artworks.

Paolo Uccello, who was commonly regarded as the first great master of perspective, worked in Ghiberti's workshop for several years, making it difficult to determine the extent to which Uccello's innovations in perspective were due to Ghiberti's instruction. Donatello, known for one of the first examples of central-point perspective in sculpture, also worked briefly in Ghiberti's workshop. It was also about this time that Paolo began his lifelong friendship with Donatello. In about 1413, one of Ghiberti's contemporaries, Filippo Brunelleschi, demonstrated the geometrical method of perspective used today by artists by painting the outlines of various Florentine buildings onto a mirror. When the building's outline was continued, he noticed that all of the lines converged on the horizon line.

Recent scholarship indicates that in his work on perspective, Ghiberti was influenced by the Arab polymath Alhazen, who had written about the optical basis of perspective in the early eleventh century. His Book of Optics was translated into Italian in the fourteenth century as Deli Aspecti, and was quoted at length in Ghiberti's "Commentario terzo." Author A. Mark Smith suggests that, through Ghiberti, Alhazen's Book of Optics "may well have been central to the development of artificial perspective in early Renaissance Italian painting."

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Lorenzo Ghiberti, The Sacrifice of Isaac,1401-2, Florence, Bargello.jpg|The Sacrifice of Isaac, Ghiberti's competition piece of 1401

Filippo Brunelleschi, The Sacrifice of Isaac, 1401-2, Bargello, Florence.jpg|The Sacrifice of Isaac, Brunelleschi's competition piece of 1401

Paradies tuer florenz.jpg|Gates of Paradise, Baptistery, Florence, the doors in situ are reproductions

Abraham (Gates of Paradise) 01.JPG|Angled view of a panel with the story of Abraham from the Florence Gates of Paradise (see above)

Lorenzo Ghiberti (or after Ghiberti), Virgin and Child and Reclyning Eve, 1430s, Berlin, Bode Museum.jpg|Virgin and Child and Reclyning Eve, the latter recurring as Maria in the Nativity on the North door, by Ghiberti or after him, 1430s, Bode Museum, Berlin

Santa Croce Firenze Apr 2008 (4).JPG|Tomb of Ghiberti in the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence

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References

  • Sullivan, Mary Ann. “Gates of Paradise, Florence Baptistry.” Images of the Gates of Paradise by Ghiberti, Florence Baptistry, Florence, Italy. Digital Imaging Project: Art Historical Images of European and North American Architecture and Sculpture from Classical Greek to Post-Modern. Scanned from Slides Taken on Site by Mary Ann Sullivan, Bluffton College.
  • Catholic Encyclopedia article
  • Golden Oldies With a New Sparkle, Review by Roberta Smith in the New York Times
  • Images of the Gates of Paradise by Ghiberti, Bluffton University.