Lorenzo Ghiberti – an unrivaled master of relief sculpture of the Early Renaissance

Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378 – December 1, 1455) – a famous Italian sculptor of the 15th century, a brilliant master of relief of the Early Renaissance. He was an outstanding architect, jeweler, theorist and historian of art. The biography of the master has many worthy of mention, and the masterpieces of his work still amaze people with their grandeur and beauty.

Lorenzo Ghiberti left his descendants the earliest autobiography of an artist of the Renaissance and throughout his life was actively engaged in the dissemination of the ideas of humanism. And his students were many great masters of the arts, including: Paolo Uccello; Donatello; Masolino; Michelozzo di Bartolomeo.

Biography

Lorenzo Ghiberti was born in 1378 in the small village of Pelago, located 20 km east of Florence. The exact date of the artist’s birth is unknown, and the identity of his real father is also highly questionable. Lorenzo’s mother, Fiora, was married to a wealthy descendant of the notary Cione di Ser Buonaccorso Ghiberti. However, according to most historians, the boy was the illegitimate son of the jeweler Bartolo di Michele.

In Di Michele’s Florentine workshop, the future sculptor acquired his first knowledge of the intricacies of the art of artistic processing of materials, and he was taught the basics of painting by the local artist Gherardo Starnina. Moreover, in his youth, Lorenzo liked drawing more than sculpture, and he initially wanted to become a painter, but these plans were not destined to come true.

In 1400, when Florence was engulfed by an epidemic of bubonic plague, the young artist left the city for Rimini, where the local condottiere Carlo I Malatesta entrusted him with completing the fresco painting of his palace. But, a year later, Lorenzo Ghiberti learned from his friends that the Florentine authorities had announced a competition for the best design for the doors of the city baptistery and decided to take part in it.

His main rival in the competition was the young Filippo Brunelleschi, who later became a great architect. An authoritative commission of 34 people eventually awarded the victory to Lorenzo Ghiberti. His version of the competition work “The Sacrifice of Isaac”, in addition to its undoubted aesthetic merits, was stronger and lighter than the panels made by other masters.

Winning the competition instantly brought wide fame to Ghiberti and until his death he was considered the best master of relief in all of Italy. In 1403, the authorities of Florence entered into an official contract with the sculptor to make the northern gates of the baptistery. To fulfill this large-scale order, Ghiberti organized his own workshop and recruited a group of students.

Work on the project was carried out for 21 years and, when it was completed, the city’s residents were finally able to see the majestic masterpiece. The huge bronze gates, more than five meters high and almost four meters wide, consisted of 28 panels, each of which was dedicated to a separate story from the New Testament.

Immediately after this, the authorities of Florence entered into a new contract with the sculptor to make another one – the eastern doors of the baptistery. The master spent 27 years of his life on this work, but the efforts were not in vain. According to legend, when he first saw the magnificent masterpiece, the brilliant Michelangelo could not contain his admiration and exclaimed that these gates could worthily decorate the entrance to heaven. Subsequently, the name “Paradise Gate” (La Porta del Paradiso) was firmly attached to the brilliant work of Lorenzo Ghiberti.

From the moment of his victory in the competition until his death, the great sculptor did not experience a shortage of funds. Wealthy customers lined up and were ready to wait several years for the master to complete his work. During his long life, Ghiberti created many beautiful statues, stained glass windows, tombstones and reliefs, most of which still adorn the walls of Florentine churches and cathedrals today.

In 1447, the sculptor decided to try his hand at the literary field. He wrote and published three books of Commentaries at his own expense, dedicated to the history of Italian art of the Early Renaissance. Among other things, these works contain biographical information about the master himself and other artists of that time. A century later, Giorgio Vasari used a large amount of information from Ghiberti’s books when creating his famous “Lives”.

Lorenzo Ghiberti lived a long, happy and eventful life as a great artist of the Renaissance. He passed away on December 1, 1455 and was buried with honors in the Florentine Basilica of Santa Croce. Near the sculptor’s grave lie the ashes of other great Italian geniuses, including Dante Alighieri, Michelangelo, Galileo Galilei and Niccolò Machiavelli.