Italian Renaissance Sculpture

15th Century

Key Commissions

• Exterior decoration of Church of Orsanmichele

• Bronze doors for the Florence Cathedral Bapistry

Orsanmichele

• Municipal granary

• Shrine for local guilds

• 12 surrounding niches

• Each guild got one niche to depict their patron saint or saints.

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Nanni di Banco

• Commissioned to sculpt 3 of the 12 niches for Orsanmichele.

• Belonged to the stone carvers’ and woodworkers guild.

• Four Crowned Martyrs, 1410-13• Marble, Orsanmichele• These martyrs were Christian

sculptures in the 3rd century• Refused to sculpt an image of a

Roman god.• Solid, heavy-set figures with a

Roman inspired appearance (toga)• Stylized hair and beards • Feet and drapery protrude off the

niche conveying a sense of realism• Predella on the bottom depicts the

martyr sculptures working.– Sculpted in HIGH RELIEF, or

deeply undercut

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Lorenzo Ghiberti• Won 1402 competition

against Filippo Brunelleschi to design the doors for the north side of the Baptistry of San Giovanni in Florence.

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Lorenzo Ghiberti• Did such a great

job, in 1425 he received a commission for the east doors. (Gates of Paradise)

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Gates of Paradise united

• Ten panels are unified by overall gilding

• Perspective leading the eye back to the distance (either linear or intuitive)

• Grouped figures are in the foreground

• What else?

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•The Creation, Temptation, and Expulsion of Adam and Eve

•Low relief, gilding

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• Jacob and Esau, panel from the Gates of Paradise, 1435

• Center panel of left door

• 1 point perspective

• Continuous narrative, Rebecca being warned by God upper right, bottom left Rebecca gives birth to twins (Esau and Jacob), foreground Jacob receives Isaac’s blessing.

Take two minutes - pick 3

1. Something I remembered from today was….

2. Something I found interesting today was….

3. Something I was reminded of was…..

4. Something I have a question on is….

5. Something I want to learn more about is….

6. Something I liked from today was….

Lorenzo Ghiberti

“I strove to imitate nature as clearly as I could, and with all the perspective I could produce, to have excellent compositions with many figures.”

- Lorenzo Ghiberti