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Sculpture in the Age of Donatello

Brooke Obie

The exhibit is at the Museum of Biblical Art in New York City through June 14, 2015.

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The exhibit, curated by noted art historian Timothy Verdon, is at the Museum of Biblical Art in New York City through June 14, 2015.

Arnolfo di Cambio Madonna with glass eyes, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo

1 ^{of 7} Madonna and Child

Arnolfo di Cambio’s Madonna was sculpted with glass eyes

Choir loft by Donatello, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo

2 ^{of 7} Choir loft by Donatello

From 1433 to 1439, Donatello worked on this choir loft (348 x 570 x 98 cm) – considered one of the masterpieces of the early Renaissance – with difficulty because the side of the Old Sacristy – nicknamed the ‘Canons’ – was always in darkness.

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3 ^{of 7} Pieta' by Michelangelo

Three figures are around Christ: to his right Mary Magdalene, who occupies the position assigned by the traditional iconography to the Madonna; in the center, on the top, Nicodemus, the converted Pharisee who witnessed the burial of Jesus and here also represents the portrait of Michelangelo; on the left, the Virgin. The body of Christ slides downward in a way that is emphasized through the twisting of the torso and the broken movement of the leg.

4 ^{of 7} The Restoration of the North Doors of the Baptistery in Florence

Considered to be the work that ushered the Renaissance in Florence, the North Doors (1403–1424) were the second set to be produced for the Baptistry, after the ones made by Andrea Pisano (1330–1336) and before the Gates of Paradise (1425–1452).

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the North Doors after the restoration — Credit: Antonio Quattrone

5 ^{of 7} The North Doors (After Restoration)

The same monumental size as the Gates of Paradise, the North Doors are nearly 10 feet wide and 16 feet high. Each of the 2 doors weigh over four tons, a total of nine.

6 ^{of 7} The Gates of Paradise (After Restoration)

According to Giorgio Vasari the door—once known just as the East Door—was named the Gates of Paradise by Michelangelo because of its striking beauty. It took Ghiberti 27 years to make the gilded bronze doors, and when the commissioning guild saw them, their beauty was such that it was decided to place them in the place of honour, on the east side facing the Cathedral – the Paradisium.

Museo dell'Opera del Duomo — Credit: Antonio Quattrone

7 ^{of 7} The Gates of Paradise

The doors weigh 8 tons and stand more than 17 feet high, 10 feet wide and 4 inches thick. The doors will be placed inside a glass case specially designed, and will then be moved to a permanent home in the new museum currently under construction.