Ghiberti’s "Gates of Paradise" on display

Lovers of Renaissance art will again have the opportunity to enjoy the original “Doors of Paradise” (Porta del Paradiso), Italian sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti (Lorenzo Ghiberti, 1378-1455). The eastern gate of the famous Baptistery of San Giovanni Battista (Battistero di San Giovanni) is considered the main work of the Florentine master.

Both wings of the gate consist of ten rectangular panels - five on each side, made of gilded bronze, which depicts scenes from the Old Testament: “The Creation of Adam and Eve”, “The Story of Cain and Abel”, “The Story of Noah”, “History Abraham ", etc. According to legend, when Michelangelo Buanarroti (Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1475 - 1564), saw the finished work, he exclaimed that these should be the doors of heaven.

The original work of Ghiberti was available to residents and guests of Florence for almost 500 years, until in 1990 they were replaced with copies, and the original was deposited at the Museo dell ’Opera del Duomo. Over the past two decades, conservation and restoration specialists have worked on the restoration of some panels.

The restored gates will not be returned to their place in San Giovanni Battista, but until September of this year they can be seen in the Opera del Duomo.

Anna Sidorova