Notes

Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455 CE) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and goldsmith whose most famous work is the gilded bronze doors of the Baptistery of Florence's cathedral. These doors, which took 27 years to complete, were so impressive that Michelangelo (1475-1564 CE) famously described them as the 'Gates of Paradise', a name which has stuck ever since. Another major contribution to the history of art is Ghiberti's autobiographical Commentaries, an invaluable record of the Renaissance art world in the mid-15th century CE and the oldest surviving autobiography by a European artist. Lorenzo Ghiberti was born in Florence in 1378 CE, his given name being Lorenzo di Cione di ser Buonaccorso. He began his career as a goldsmith but he eventually built a reputation in Florence for his masterly skills in bronze sculpture work, then an expensive and much appreciated medium. Ghiberti did his own casting (not all famous artists did) using the direct lost-wax technique, that is creating a wax model with a clay core which was then covered in clay and baked in order to melt out the wax so that the space left could then be filled with melted bronze. However, the part of the process Ghiberti really showed his mastery of metal was in his ability to 'chase' or finish a cast piece, that is to use files, chisels and pumice stone to remove imperfections and bring the metal to shining life. Florence's Baptistery of San Giovanni is a massive octagonal building with a pyramid roof, which stands opposite the main facade of the city's cathedral. First built in the 4-5th centuries CE, the Baptistery was remodelled in the 11-13th centuries CE and given its distinctive green and white marble exterior. The Baptistery has three doorways, and Ghiberti was commissioned to produce the (now) north doors, which show stories from the New Testament. Ghiberti had beaten six other artists, including fellow Florentine sculptor Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446 CE) in a competition in 1401 CE to see who would make these doors. These doors alone would take over 20 years to complete and, in the end, consisted of 28 panels, 74 slim border panels, 48 heads, and another three broad outer borders. The south doors, meanwhile, were created by Andrea Pisano and show scenes of John the Baptist and the Virtues. It is the east doors, though, that have captured the public imagination. These doors were commissioned by the Arte dei Mercanti in 1425 CE. The work necessitated the creation of a specialised workshop and many noted Renaissance artists would pass through its doors over the years. One big-name artist to be involved was Michelozzo di Bartolomeo (1396-1472 CE) who acted as foreman for the project for some years and he may well have had an influence on the architectural elements of some of the panels. The doors were not finished until 1452 CE.