Legend has it that Michelangelo named the East Door of the Baptistery in Florence, "the Gates of Paradise." Set in place in 1452, it may be seen today. To recount the story of Ghiberti's double achievement, the North as well as the East Door, Richard Krautheimer has extracted the whole wealth of illustrations for the doors: every panel is shown, some in detail, with close-ups of the portrait busts and the plant and animal vignettes that enliven the borders. Four color plates recapture the shimmer of the gilded bronze. To these illustrations Mr. Krautheimer has added a brief commentary, touching on the style and meaning of the Old and New Testament scenes represented and sketching the life of the artist -- first as a young, unknown bronze-caster competing for the Baptistery commission and then as a craftsman par excellence. -- From publisher's description.
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