Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The East Doors of the Baptistry
Lorenzo Ghiberti's celebrated doors
were commissioned in 1401 to
mark Florence's deliverance from the
plague. Ghiberti was chosen after a
competition involving seven leading
artists, including Donatello and Brunel-
leschi. Ghiberti's and Brunelleschi's
trial panels
(see p69)
are so different
from Florentine Gothic art
of the time that they are
often regarded as the
first products of the
Renaissance.
Lorenzo Ghiberti
Ghiberti's winning panel
The “Gate of Paradise”
Having spent 21 years
on the North Doors, Ghiberti
worked on the East Doors
from 1424 to 1452. Michel-
angelo enthusiastically
dubbed them the “Gate of
Paradise”. The original
panels are in the Museo
dell'Opera del Duomo; those
on the Baptistry are copies.
The jagged rocks
, symbolizing
Abraham's pain, are carefully
arranged to emphasize the
sacrificial act.
Abraham and the Sacrifice
of Isaac
Architecture
is used to
create the illusion of spatial
depth. Ghiberti was a master
of perspective.
KEY TO THE EAST DOORS
1
Adam and Eve are Expelled from Eden
2
Cain Murders his Brother, Abel
3
The Drunkenness of Noah and his Sacrifice
4
Abraham and the Sacrifice of Isaac
5
Esau and Jacob
6
Joseph Sold into Slavery
7
Moses Receives the Ten Commandments
8
The Fall of Jericho
9
The Battle with the Philistines
10
Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Joseph Sold into Slavery and
Recognized by his Brothers
9
10
