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2013-55407
Humanities 2
REPORT ON
EAST DOORS OF THE BAPTISTERY BY LORENZO GHIBERTI
The first door of the baptistery that Ghiberti designed was the north doors because he won the contest for the
commission to make a pair of bronze doors for the Baptistery of the cathedral of Florence.
He and six other artists were given the task of representing the biblical scene of Abrahams sacrifice of Isaac in a bronze relief
of quatrefoil shape, following the tradition of the first set of doors produced by Andrea Pisano (133036). The entry panels of Ghiberti and
of Filippo Brunelleschi are the sole survivors of the contest. Ghibertis panels displayed a graceful and lively composition executed with a
mastery of the goldsmiths art. In 1402 Ghiberti was chosen to make the doors by a large panel of judges; their decision brought immediate
and lasting recognition and prominence to the young artist.
The north doors used the same quatrefoil format as Pisano and with the same number of reliefs--28.
His second set of doors--the so-called Gates of Paradise of the East Doors of Baptistery, however, have much
larger panels and use a square format rather than the medieval quatrefoil. Thus, they can accommodate several
scenes relating to one Old Testament hero and use many figures (more than a hundred in some panels) and
extensive details. These doors depict events from the Creation to the reign of Solomon.
Because of the beauty and grandeur of the doors, Michaelangelo called it the Gates of Paradise
Ghiberti uses different sculptural techniques, from incised lines to almost free-standing figure sculpture, within
the panels, further accentuating the sense of space.
Deep space convincing through: one-point linear perspective, aerial perspective, receding size of the figure as
they recede in the distance.
Painting in sculpture
It started Renaissance
Used rilievo schiacciato- figures are distributed in very low relief in a perspective space
Used medieval narrative- method of combining several stories in 1 frame. But still shows influence of classical
sculpture in the figure style.
It showed Renaissance realism in the movements and gestures of figures.
Humanities 2
High relief
Low relief
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David panel
- Showed talent for evoking large crowd within the small
area
- David is in the process of severing the head of Goliath
with his own large sword. Part of the figure of Noah can
be seen at the low
Noah panel
Joseph panel
Humanities 2
Moses panel
Solomon panel
Abraham panel
Joshua panel
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