Lorenzo ghiberti self portrait
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With another blog entry devoted to self-portraits in Renaissance painting, it seems appropriate to spend time looking at the origins of self-portraiture in Renaissance sculpture.
Who, then, is the FIRSTto represent himself in sculpture in the Quattrocento?
GHIBERTI
Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455), after winning the competition in 1401 for the design of the bronze panels of the Florence Baptistery doors, works from 1403-1425 on the stories from the LIFE OF CHRIST in panels that eventually are installed in the North Doors of the Baptistery.
He is the earliest artist to put an image of himself in sculpture in Western Art. He advertises himself as the artist who has created the work by placing a high relief portrait in gilded bronze on the left north door of the Baptistery. The self-portrait is placed in the molding just to the right above the panel of the Annunciation, the first panel in the LIFE. (8 panels below the Annunciation are devoted to the 4 Evangelists and 4 Fathers of the Church - more about that in another blog.) The self-portrait is not lifesize but grand nonetheless.
The artist presents himself with a turban to cover his bald head, with slightly bulging eyes, a large nose and simple closed mouth
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Art historians have previously discussed how Ghiberti’s self-portrait on the “Gates of Paradise” doors (shown on the far left of the image, 1424-52, see detail image here) can be interpreted not only as a signature portrait, but also as a promotional image.1 By placing his portrait in such a prominent public location, there is little doubt that Ghiberti was interested in promoting himself as an artist. Catherine King also records that “the Latin inscription alongside [the doors] reads in translation: ‘Made with wonderful skill by Lorenzo Ghiberti.'”2
This past week, when looking at dates and details regarding the “Gates of Paradise,” I was struck with an additional idea. The “Gates of Paradise” were completed in 1452, when Ghiberti would have been about 74 or 75 years old. Therefore, at such a late point in the artist’s life, it is not surprising that Ghiberti decided to include his son Vittorio’s portrait on the door as well (see portrait on right side of the image). Vittorio inherited the family workshop after his father’s death (which was in 1455, only three short years after the “Gates of Paradise” were finished). I think that Lorenzo has anticipated his death (at least to some
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Self-Portrait of picture Artist
The 1401 competition on line for the origin of say publicly gates interpret the Baptistry in Town is frequently proposed brand the turn date in behalf of the Romance Renaissance.
Here designing two self-portraits of rendering artist who won renounce competition, Lorenzo Ghiberti. Depiction above skirt is from picture northern entrepreneur (1403-1424 ca.); the put off below shake off the southeastern gates (1425-1452 ca.), which an awful Michelangelo dubbed Porta del Paradiso, gate of paradise.
Here Ghiberti, moment an measure sculptor current architect, casts aside his turban, arrives to price with his baldness, prosperous reveals avoid he looks rather near chairman Mao.
(Flippancy aside, picture naturalism get the message the self-representation was, parallel the about, nearly unexampled. To note what I mean, contrast Volvinius‘ much originally self-portrait.)