The Contest that Sparked the Renaissance. Which one is Better? You Choose!

Last edited Mon Jun 26, 2017, 04:46 PM - Edit history (1)

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The Baptistry in Florence

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The competition panels portraying the Old Testament story of the Sacrifice of Isaac.

The Finalists

Lorenzo Ghiberti, an eminent Florentine goldsmith, sculptor and designer, whose panel is pictured here on the right

Filippo Brunelleschi, an architect and engineer, whose panel is on the left

The Competition

The competition was sponsored by Florence’s Cloth Guild in 1401, to determine who would design the second set of the massive 17 feet high doors to the Baptistery, an octagonal building containing 3 sets of doors (the first set had been done in the 14th century by Andrea Pisano). The elements of the panel telling this story that were to be included were strictly prescribed, had to be contained within a quatrefoil and they were to be in bronze.

What Happened

As you can see, Ghiberti’s is the simpler told tale --the stark reality shown in the anguished face of Abraham as he is poised to kill his beloved son Isaac because God has commanded it. He has portrayed Isaac fully nude in the classic Roman or Greek style. The angel above him appears as a spirit body, suspended in foreshortened form in the air, to prevent Abraham from carrying out the sacrifice of Isaac now that Abraham has shown his devotion to God’s Word.

Brunelleschi’s interpretation is disturbingly more violent (in an already inherently violent scene). His pro-active angel is an intrusion, physically restraining the hand of Abraham. Abraham has pulled back the head of Isaac and has twisted the boy’s body. Isaac is portrayed in a loin cloth, not nude as in Ghiberti’s version.

My theologically informed friend (who helps explain the Biblical exegesis of religiously themed art works for me) has told me of a Reform Jewish midrash of this story, which has the voice of the angel as Sarah's. When Abraham leaves with Isaac to go to Mount Moriah, Sarah knows something isn't quite right and she is overcome with a vision. She sees what Abraham is doing and understands his intent. She screams his name. And it is a mother's love and fear and anxiety that stays Abraham’s hand, although Abraham believes it is his faith. The Christian meaning of the terrible calling of Abraham has to do with obedience, the willing sacrifice, and atonement. It is a test of faith, an instruction for daily living, and a foreshadowing of Jesus' sacrifice for humanity on the cross.

The Guild’s Decision

The Guild decided in favor of Ghiberti, who was to go on and design the third door. Brunelleschi stormed off to Rome, where he studied architecture and engineering and was to return to Florence to win the award of designing the dome of the cathedral. This architectural wonder of its day has survived over six centuries and is the quintessential landmark of the city of Florence.

Adored by generations of artists — including Michelangelo, reputed to have given them the name Gates of Paradise — the gilded bronze doors of the Baptistry in Florence are among the seminal moments of the Italian Renaissance. Ghiberti decorated them with evocative and magically atmospheric scenes from the Old Testament, each carried out in relief ranging from high to low.

The merciless torrents in the Florence flood of 1966 wrenched open the doors and knocked off several of Ghiberti’s panels. They would have been lost had they not been kept back by a protective railing.

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A restoration of the doors was started in 1990 and took over 20 years to complete, saving the legendary gold-leafed bronze doors from certain destruction.

Today, the "Gates of Paradise" situated in the Baptistry are a copy of the originals, substituted in 1990 to preserve the panels from further exposure and damage.

These two original bronze panels by Ghiberti and Brunelleschi of the Sacrifice of Isaac can be seen today at the Bargello Museum in Florence.