Ghiberti, << gee BEHR tee, >> Lorenzo (1378-1455), was an Italian sculptor and goldsmith. He is best known for two sets of bronze doors he created for the baptistery (a building used for baptisms) in his native Florence. The doors have 28 panels, decorated with reliefs (raised designs). Twenty of these show scenes from the life of Christ. Each is composed within a Gothic frame of a shape called quatrefoil, which restricts the freedom of the designer. Yet Ghiberti created striking variations of many important traditional themes.
Ghiberti worked on these doors from 1403 to 1424. Then he produced another set, often called the Gates of Paradise. These doors have 10 large panels. This gave Ghiberti freedom to compose his reliefs like pictures. The panels depict episodes from the Old Testament.
Ghiberti worked on the doors for about 50 years. He also created many other works and trained dozens of artists who were his assistants.
