Doors of the Baptistery in Florence, Florence, Italy, 14th Century

The first door in the Baptistery in Florence was first commissioned in the early 14th century by Arte de Calimana. The second and third door were built by Lorenzo Ghiberti in the early 15th century, the third door famously known as the Gates of Paradise. These three bronze doors act as an enlarged bible, written in only images. It depicts the Old Testament stories, stories of St. John the Baptist, stories of Christ, and the New Testament. These doors serve as a symbol of the Florentine Renaissance.

Florence’s Gates of Paradise

For Ghiberti, these 2 doors took almost 27 years, but had Michelangelo's approval to be considered the Gates of Paradise. The Gates of Paradise consist of 10 panels instead of its planned 28 panels.

To break it down, he had started off with the Adam and Eve panel. This panel had depicted the story of Adam and Eve, showing him in a few “scenes” when he had spoke to god, to when the serpent had made its appearance. These panels begin to look more like episodes with each scene that they were illustrating.

The next famous panel is the Jacob and Esau panel, using a linear perspective to draw his narrative. Instead of creating the story as panels like Adam and Eve, he had circulated the story around a vanishing point, framed by the central arch.

The last panel that deems significant is the David panel, illustrating the great victory of David over Goliath. David is shown cutting off the monster’s head, and then carrying it towards his triumph.

David Panel

Works Cited:

"Baptistry of San Giovanni - The Florence Baptistery." Florence Art Museums. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.

"The Gates of Paradise: Lorenzo Ghiberti's Renaissance Masterpiece." The Gates of Paradise: Lorenzo Ghiberti's Renaissance Masterpiece. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.