Gates of Paradise

The doors earned their nickname when Michelangelo reportedly looked at them and declared they were so beautiful they could serve as the gates to Paradise. They were originally just the east doors of the Florence Baptistery, completed by Ghiberti in 1452. Today, the original panels are preserved in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.

The gilded bronze doors contain ten square panels illustrating scenes from the Old Testament. These include the Creation of Adam and Eve, the Story of Joseph, and the Judgment of Solomon. Ghiberti spent 27 years working on these doors, finally completing them in 1452.

The original 15th-century gilded bronze doors were removed from the Florence Baptistery to protect them from environmental damage and are now displayed in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo. Exact replicas currently stand in the east entrance of the Baptistery. Visitors can see both the replicas and the originals on a trip to the Piazza del Duomo.

Ghiberti revolutionized bronze casting by utilizing single-cast panels with masterful linear perspective, moving away from the multiple smaller scenes of his earlier doors. He compressed multiple narrative events into a single, unified spatial setting within each of the ten squares. This innovative approach deeply influenced later Renaissance sculptors like Donatello and Michelangelo.