Gates of Paradise

The Gates of Paradise are gilded bronze doors made by Lorenzo Ghiberti for Florence's Baptistery between 1425 and 1452. Ten square panels depict Old Testament narratives, framed by smaller figures, heads and decorative motifs. Within the panels, projecting foreground figures give way to increasingly shallow relief, while buildings and landscape organise the scenes in depth. Several episodes can appear within a single setting, joining storytelling with the Renaissance study of perspective. The original doors are preserved in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo. Their combination of casting, gilding and narrative design demonstrates the expressive possibilities of bronze relief in a religious setting.