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Florence Baptistery: Detail, view of the "Gates of Paradise" by Ghiberti

Date

Circa 1910

Creator

G. Massiot & cie
Part of: Architectural Lantern Slides of Italy
Architecture Library, Hesburgh Libraries

Ghiberti and his workshop (including Michelozzo and Benozzo Gozzoli) worked on the East Doors for 27 years. These doors have ten panels depicting scenes from the Old Testament. This image is reversed.

Most famous for its three sets of bronze doors, the Baptistery is the oldest extant building in Florence. Excavations have revealed various floor-levels below the Baptistery's inlaid marble base, and these fragments suggest that there was a building of some size on the site, possibly as early as the Roman period. The date of the present building is controversial, but it is now thought likely that it is a 6th- or 7th-century structure, although it has also been attributed to the 11th century: there was a consecration in 1059. The geometric facing was applied in this period, but the striped angle pilasters were added during the 13th century; the lantern dates from ca. 1150. An inscription on the mosaics of the apse indicates that it was begun ca. 1225 and, according to Giovanni Villani, the mosaics of the main vault were virtually completed by 1325.

Images

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Metadata

Creator
G. Massiot & cie
Date
Circa 1910
Publisher
Architecture Library, Hesburgh Libraries
Material Type
photographs
Conditions Governing Access
To view the physical lantern slide, please contact the Architecture Library to arrange an appointment
Related Location
Florence Cathedral (Florence, Tuscany, Italy): The octagonal Baptistery stands in both the Piazza del Duomo and the Piazza di San Giovanni

Metadata

Campus Location
Architecture Library, Hesburgh Libraries
Link to Finding Aid
https://curate.nd.edu/show/rj43029023x
This digital collection may not include all items or all of the information available about the source collection. See the finding aid for more information.

Metadata

Contact Us

Our collection information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. If you have spotted an error, please contact Architecture Library, Hesburgh Libraries at asklib@nd.edu.


Also from Architectural Lantern Slides of Italy

Cloister of Santa Maria in Porto, Ravenna: Raking view, the loggia of the main entrance

Cloister of Santa Maria in Porto, Ravenna: Raking view, the loggia of the main entrance

Doge's Palace: Exterior, Porta della Carta on the Piazetta facade

Doge's Palace: Exterior, Porta della Carta on the Piazetta facade

San Clemente: Exterior view of side entrance behind cloister

San Clemente: Exterior view of side entrance behind cloister

Mausoleum of Galla Placidia: Overall view of exterior

Mausoleum of Galla Placidia: Overall view of exterior

Saint Peter's Church, Benedictine Abbey, Assisi: Raking view showing flat Romanesque facade

Saint Peter's Church, Benedictine Abbey, Assisi: Raking view showing flat Romanesque facade

So-called Palace of Theodoric, Ravenna: Raking view of building remains

So-called Palace of Theodoric, Ravenna: Raking view of building remains

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