Gate of Paradise by Ghiberti

Gates of Paradise by Ghiberti The Gates of Paradise by Lorenzo Ghiberti is the eastern gate of the Baptistery in Florence, located in front of the Florence's Cathedral. The monumental complex of the Cathedral of Florence is composed of various architectural works of great artistic and historical value, among them the baptistery is fundamental. Here major Christian customs were celebrated since the ancient times. Realization of the Gates of Paradise was commissioned to the great Florentine Renaissance artist Lorenzo Ghiberti. The panels of the door represent scenes from the Old Testament and are covered in gold. The Baptistery of Florence Cathedral has three entrances, the Gates of Paradise by Ghiberti was the last one built with the intention to being placed in a position other than the current one. At the inauguration in 1452 the work of Ghiberti was such a success, that it was decided to move them to the current position in front of the facade of the Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore. The beauty of this work of art was given the place of honor. Lorenzo Ghiberti created the Gates of Paradise in 27 years with the help of his sons and other great artists who helped him in the final stages of labor. The realization of this important work was possible because Ghiberti had no spending limits. The artist had resources available and thus decided to decorate all external panels with gold, which are depicting scenes inspired by ancient Christian history. The other two inputs of the Baptistery are the south and the north. The port on the south side was made by Andrea Pisano in 1336 and depicts the stories of San Giovanni Battista. The door now located on the north side was also made by Ghiberti. Today the original Gate of Paradise by Ghiberti is kept safely inside the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, protected from the dangers of the weather. The famous door was replaced by a modern copy perfectly reproduced thanks to the contributions of a major Japanese corporation Sun Motoyama.

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