Biography of Lorenzo Ghiberti


Lorenzo Ghiberti is a Florentine sculptor.

The first skills Lorenzo acquired in the studio Bartoluccio. In 1401, in his biography, Ghiberti took part in the bronze door relief competition for the Baptistery in Florence. Giberti won the competition, bypassing the nearest competitor – Brunelleschi. The triple door, depicting the sacrifice of Isaac, is now in the National Museum of Bargello.

From 1403 to 1424, Ghiberti worked on the main entrance. The door was designed by Andrea Pisano, worthy of the work previously done. As a result, Ghiberti worked without restrictions on the decoration of the quadrilateral frame of the Gothic period. The reliefs depicted scenes from the life of Jesus, and also represented the four evangelists and the Father of the church. During these years, in the biography of Lorenzo Ghiberti, several impressive statues for the church of Orsanmikele were also performed: St. John the Baptist, St. Matthew and Stefan.

In 1424, Giberti made

a short trip to Venice. Returning to Florence, he began to develop the eastern entrance of the baptistery. The sculptor devoted approximately 23 years to this work, during which time his workshop became one of the main centers of the Florentine creative activity.

Ghiberti got more freedom in doing this entry, the door contained ten square panels. The new perspective system was skillfully used in the architectural environment of three reliefs: Isaac, Joseph, Solomon. Florentines proudly call the work “Gates of Paradise”. Five of the ten door panels were torn off during the flood of 1966, and later restored with the help of exact copies from San Francisco. To protect the remaining original parts from contamination, they were replaced with replicas in 1990.

In the last years of his biography Lorenzo Ghiberti wrote a book “Commentarii”, which contained an analysis of early art, as well as his own works of Ghiberti. The book represents the oldest surviving autobiography of the sculptor.


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Biography of Lorenzo Ghiberti