Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378–1455) was a seminal sculptor, goldsmith, and writer of the Early Renaissance, whose workshop became the crucible for the artistic revolution in Florence.
Born in Pelago, near Florence, Ghiberti was trained in the goldsmith’s trade by his stepfather, Bartoluccio. His career—and arguably the history of the Renaissance—was defined in 1401 when he won a famous competition against Filippo Brunelleschi to design the bronze North Doors of the Florence Baptistery. His winning panel, The Sacrifice of Isaac, displayed a mastery of composition and casting that secured him the commission, which took 21 years to complete (1403–1424).
However, his greatest masterpiece was his second set of doors for the Baptistery’s east entrance (1425–1452). Michelangelo famously dubbed them the “Gates of Paradise” (Porta del Paradiso). Unlike the earlier Gothic-framed doors, these ten large square panels utilized the newly codified laws of linear perspective to create a remarkable illusion of depth in low relief (rilievo schiacciato). He successfully treated bronze like a painter’s canvas, creating receding landscapes and architectural settings that had never been seen in sculpture before.
Ghiberti was also a vital educator; his large workshop was the training ground for key figures of the next generation, including Donatello and Paolo Uccello. Late in life, he wrote I Commentarii (The Commentaries), a three-book treatise that includes the earliest surviving autobiography of an artist, providing invaluable insight into 15th-century art theory and history.
Active in others filds : Architecture (Consultant for the Florence Cathedral Dome), Art Theory & History (Author of I Commentarii), Goldsmithing.
