Lorenzo Ghiberti
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Lorenzo Ghiberti (born Lorenzo di Bartolo) (Florence, 1378 – December 1, 1455 in Florence) was an Italian artist of the early Renaissance best known for works in sculpture and metalworking.
Ghiberti was originally trained as a goldsmith.
He first became famous when he won the 1401 competition for the second set of bronze doors for the baptistry of the cathedral in Florence. Brunelleschi was the runner up. The original plan was for the doors to depict scenes from the Old Testament, and the trial piece was the sacrifice of Isaac. However, the plan was changed to depict scenes from the New Testament, instead.
To carry out this commission, he set up a large workshop in which many artists trained, including Donatello, Masolino, Uccello, and Antonio Pollaiuolo.
When his first set of 28 panels was complete, Ghiberti was commissioned to produce a second set for the remaining doorway, this time with scenes from the Old Testament, as originally intended for his first set. Instead of 28 scenes, he produced 10 rectangular scenes in a completely different style. They were more naturalistic, with perspective and a greater idealization of the subject. Michelangelo dubbed these scenes the "Gates of Paradise."
He was then commissioned to execute monumental gilded bronze statues, one of St. John the Baptist for the Merchants' Guild and one of St. Matthew for the Bankers' Guild. Finally, he also produced a bronze figure of St. Stephen for the Wool Guild.
He was also a collector of classical artifacts and a historian. He was actively involved in the spreading of Humanist ideas. His unfinished Commentarii are a valuable source of information about Renaissance art and contain an autobiography, the first of an artist. This work was a major source for Vasari's Vite.
The Gates of Hell of Auguste Rodin were inspired by the "Gates of Paradise."
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