Lorenzo Ghiberti Biography for Kids

Ciao! I am Lorenzo Ghiberti! I was born and grew up near Firenze, Italia, but I guess you say it Florence, Italy.

My father was a goldsmith, so I received my training in goldsmithing. 

In 1401, I won a competition to design a new bronze door for the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Florence. Can you believe that my life work was creating beautiful sculptures on a door of a baptistery, the place where they baptize believers? Really, I spent most of life on this project. 

You see, after I won the competition to create the doors, I spent years creating 28 square blocks depicting scenes from the life of Jesus Christ, from his birth to his crucifixion and resurrection, to tell the story of Redemption, or how he saved us from our sins. I also included sculptures of famous saints like Matthew, Mark, Luke and John with a special touch of flowers and plants around the edges. 

All in all, it took me 21 years to complete these doors, and they were hung on the north side of the Baptistery at Easter in 1424.

A year later, I received a commission to create a second set of doors! 

This time I made ten panels showing scenes from the Old Testament including Creation and the Fall,…

…Noah after the Flood,…

…Abraham almost sacrificing Isaac,…

…Moses receiving the tablets of the Ten Commandments,…

…David and Goliath, and others!

First, I carved the scenes, then I cast them in bronze, and then I polished and gilded the panels. I had lots of other artists helping me. 

This second set of doors took 27 years and were hung in 1452 on the east side of the Baptistery.

So one set of doors was hung in 1424 and the other in 1452 and I started in 1401. That’s over fifty years of work on two sets of doors! This really was my life work! 

I didn’t have time to do much else, but about this second set of doors, another artist named Michelangelo, who some consider to be the greatest artist who ever lived –

…but I don’t know him, do you? – Anyway, Michelangelo said about this second set of doors, “They are worthy to stand at the Gates of Paradise.” 

So they are often called the “Gates of Paradise” now. You should come to Florence, Italy to see them! Almost as a signature, I did include a small sculpture of myself on them, a self-portrait.

And here is another self-portrait sculpture of myself on the Duomo di Firenze or the Cathedral di Santa Maria del Fiore.

Here’s what you should remember about me. 

• I am Lorenzo Ghiberti, an Italian Renaissance sculptor. 
• I lived from 1378-1455. 
• My life work was the doors for the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Florence, Italy.

Watch the video about me too!

Resources:

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