Lorenzo Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise: Humanism, History, and Artistic Philosophy in the Italian Renaissance

This book examines the heretofore unsuspected complexity of Lorenzo Ghiberti's sculpted representations of Old Testament narratives in his Gates of Paradise (1425-1452), the second set of doors he made for the Florence Baptistery and a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance sculpture. One of the most intellectually engaged and well-read artists of his age, Ghiberti found inspiration in ancient and medieval texts, many of which he and his contacts in Florence's humanist community shared, read, and discussed. He was fascinated by the science of vision, by the functioning of nature, and, above all, by the origins and history of art. These unusually well-defined intellectual interests, reflected in his famous Commentaries, shaped his approach in the Gates. Through the selection, imaginative interpretation, and arrangement of biblical episodes, Ghiberti fashioned multi-textured narratives that explore the human condition and express his ideas on a range of social, political, artistic, and philosophical issues. Cover 1 Half-title 3 Title page 5 Copyright information 6 Dedication 7 Table of contents 9 List of plates 10 List of figures 11 Acknowledgments 23 Introduction 25 Ghiberti’s Learning and Culture and His Approach to the Old Testament 28 The Themes of the Gates 31 Chronology and the Commentaries 33 Chapter 1 The Adam and Eve Panel: The Birth of Creativity 38 The Birth of the Sculptor 41 The Birth of Creation in Nature 52 The Emergence of Homo Faber (and the Artist) 60 Nature as Force and the Evolving Earth 70 Chapter 2 The Cain and Abel Panel: Fashioning Thought and Fate 73 Chapter 3 The Noah Panel: Architecture and Politics Emerge 96 The Birth of Architecture and the Architect 103 The Sacrifice and the Birth of Government 114 Chapter 4 The Abraham and Isaac Panel: The Sacrifice from the Competition to the Gates of Paradise 120 The Chronology of Cultural Innovation 125 What Abraham Saw; What Abraham Imagined 129 Chapter 5 The Jacob and Esau Panel: Perspective, Vision, and Memory 155 Narrative 156 Space 166 Space and the Expansion of Narrative 178 Chapter 6 The Joseph Panel: Speech Acts in the Piazza 182 Setting the Stage 185 Architecture: Ghiberti and Michelozzo 189 City Life 200 Chapter 7 The Moses Panel: Sculpting the Drama of Nature 213 Pliny’s Challenge and the Placement of Ghiberti’s Self-Portrait 231 Chapter 8 The Joshua Panel: The Fate of Art 234 Postscript: Ghiberti and Pride 255 Chapter 9 The David Panel: Ghiberti, Tragedian 257 David and Goliath 261 Saul 265 Chapter 10 The Solomon and Queen of Sheba Panel: A Portrait of Ghiberti’s Florence 277 The Culmination of Human History: Society, Architecture, and Space 279 The Culmination of the Gates of Paradise 289 Coda: Filling in a Gap 297 Notes 303 Introduction 303 Chapter 1 The Adam and Eve Panel: The Birth of Creativity 307 Chapter 2 The Cain and Abel Panel: Fashioning Thought and Fate 317 Chapter 3 The Noah Panel: Architecture and Politics Emerge 319 Chapter 4 The Abraham and Isaac Panel: The Sacrifice from the Competition to the Gates of Paradise 325 Chapter 5 The Jacob and Esau Panel: Perspective, Vision, and Memory 329 Chapter 6 The Joseph Panel: Speech Acts in the Piazza 332 Chapter 7 The Moses Panel: Sculpting the Drama of Nature 335 Chapter 8 The Joshua Panel: The Fate of Art 338 Chapter 9 The David Panel: Ghiberti, Tragedian 341 Chapter 10 The Solomon and Queen of Sheba Panel: A Portrait of Ghiberti’s Florence 345 Works Cited 351 Primary/Archival Sources 351 Secondary Sources 356 Index 373 Plates 385 "This book examines the heretofore unsuspected complexity of Lorenzo Ghiberti's sculpted representations of Old Testament narratives in his Gates of Paradise (1425-52), the second set of doors he made for the Florence Baptistery and a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance sculpture. One of the most intellectually engaged and well-read artists of his age, Ghiberti found inspiration in ancient and medieval texts, many of which he and his contacts in Florence's humanist community shared, read, and discussed. He was fascinated by the science of vision, by the functioning of nature, and, above all, by the origins and history of art. These unusually well-defined intellectual interests, reflected in his famous Commentaries, shaped his approach in the Gates. Through the selection, imaginative interpretation, and arrangement of biblical episodes, Ghiberti fashioned multi-textured narratives that explore the human condition and express his ideas on a range of social, political, artistic, and philosophical issues"-- Provided by publisher "This book examines the heretofore unsuspected complexity of Lorenzo Ghiberti's sculpted representations of Old Testament narratives in his Gates of Paradise (1425-52), the second set of doors he made for the Florence Baptistery and a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance sculpture. One of the most intellectually engaged and well-read artists of his age, Ghiberti found inspiration in ancient and medieval texts, many of which he and his contacts in Florence's humanist community shared, read, and discussed. He was fascinated by the science of vision, by the functioning of nature, and, above all, by the origins and history of art. These unusually well-defined intellectual interests, reflected in his famous Commentaries, shaped his approach in the Gates. Through the selection, imaginative interpretation, and arrangement of biblical episodes, Ghiberti fashioned multi-textured narratives that explore the human condition and express his ideas on a range of social, political, artistic, and philosophical issues"--Résumé de l'éditeur This Book Is An In-depth Study Of The Old Testament Narratives In Lorenzo Ghiberti's Masterpiece Gates Of Paradise, The Second Set Of Bronze Doors He Made For The Florence Baptistery. It Examines The Doors' Ten Panels, Exploring The Sources That Inspired Ghiberti And Explaining His Artistic Interpretations.