Lorenzo Ghiberti's Gates Of Paradise (1425 - 52); replica Lorenzo Ghiberti's Gates Of Paradise (1425 - 52); replica, installation view

The Museum hosted an acclaimed masterpiece of the Florentine Renaissance, Lorenzo Ghiberti’s (Italian, 1378-1455) Gates of Paradise (1425-52). On display in India for the first time, the full-scale lost-wax bronze replica of the Gates, cast from the original mould, allowed visitors to discover Ghiberti’s masterpiece and to contextualise the civic values promoted by the great art of the period. The Gates of Paradise reflect the artistic, political, religious, and social contexts of Ghiberti and his patrons in fifteenth-century Florence. At the Museum, the Gates of Paradise evoked a fascinating thematic parallel between the artistic climate and civic values that shaped the Florentine Renaissance and the extraordinary Indian patronage and entrepreneurship that created Mumbai. The exhibition offered visitors a rare experience of the civic values that gave birth to the Florentine Renaissance – values that carry significant implications for the development of urban culture in a rapidly-urbanizing India. With the Gates of Paradise, Lorenzo Ghiberti displayed his brilliant talent as storyteller and master artist by incorporating multiple narratives within each panel and experimenting with the latest scientific and technical innovations. The scenes are based on biblical passages from the early history of humankind to the life of King David and Solomon. They read from left to right, beginning with the upper left panel. The Gates of Paradise, courtesy of a generous loan from the Guild of the Dome Association, are identical to the replica that currently decorates the exterior facade of the Eastern Door of the Florence Baptistery. The original masterpiece underwent nearly twenty-seven years of restoration and is permanently located inside the Museo dell’Opera in Florence. Named “The Gates of Paradise” by the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo (Italian, 1475-1564), the centerpiece of the exhibition was created by sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti (Italian, 1378-1455) between 1425 and 1452 to complete the ensemble surrounding the Dome. The gates were located at the Eastern entrance to the Battistero di San Giovanni (Florence Baptistery), the oldest civic temple in Florence and a crucial public gathering place for urban rituals and performances. The Gates of Paradise depict Ghiberti’s masterful sculptural and narrative rendering of ten biblical panels from the Old Testament.