Separated almost 30 years ago to be restored, the three gigantic doors of the Baptistery of Florence are again together (about 5 meters high by 3 wide each), masterpieces in bronze and gold that were made between 1330 and 1452. They will no longer be visible in their original location for obvious reasons of protection (in their place very faithful copies), but in the Museum of the Opera of Santa Maria del Fiore, a factory which also includes the Duomo, Brunelleschi's Dome, Giotto's Bell Tower and the Baptistery.
From December 9 you can admire them side by side in the museum's Sala del Paradiso: here were already kept the two created by Lorenzo Ghiberti, the Paradiso door, the most recent and famous to which the name Michelangelo gave him for the its beauty, and the North one. Now the South gate has arrived at the museum, the oldest, by Andrea Pisano who was a disciple and collaborator of Giotto, once the restoration carried out as for the other two portals by the Opificio delle Pietre dure and financed with a million and half a euro from the Opera of Santa Maria del Fiore.
With the 'return' of the South door, a restoration campaign began already in 1978, with the start of the first treatments for the door of Paradise - ended only in 2012 due to the complexity of the intervention - the first in 1990 to be removed from its original location. Three years instead we wanted for the South door, as had already happened for the North door, to bring to light what remains of the beautiful gilding - in the lower part, for example, some reliefs were worn due to contact with the hands - and the wonderful details of the sculptural parts made with a care so passionate as to make them look like a "prayer".
The newly restored portal was built by Andrea Pisano between 1330 and 1336: it consists of 28 panels, of which 20 with episodes from the life of Saint John the Baptist and 8 with emblematic figures, separated by 74 friezes. We can also admire 48 lion heads, symbols of Florence, one of which was lost in the flood of 1966 which caused serious damage to the three portals of the 'Bel San Giovanni' so Dante called the Baptistery of Florence. After the South door to Andrea Pisano the most important Florentine sculptural enterprises of the century will be entrusted: dead Giotto, he will be in charge of carrying out the work of the Bell Tower of which he will realize, with the help of collaborators, 8 of the great statues and 48 of the 52 relief . The originals are also exhibited at the Museo dell'Opera.
In collaboration with:
Opera Santa Maria del Fiore