Back the gold on the doors of paradise

The restoration Opificio delle Pietre dure in Florence of the North Door of the baptistery of Florence by Lorenzo Ghiberti, going after 600 years after its construction, is getting exceptional results, beyond all expectations.

Under the dirt and the surface deposits of centuries has resurfaced the splendid original gilding sculptural reliefs of onward 28 formelle, in the heads of prophets and sibyls in the frieze and plant motifs teeming with small animals.

It is the final confirmation that the Gam had also the second Golden monumental gate of the baptistery, created between 1403-1424, But unlike the next door of paradise the Amalgam Mercury gilding was performed only on sculptural reliefs leaving bronze Fund.

A contrast, between the brightness of gold bronze and dark, that makes this extraordinary work, like the beauty of Porta del Paradiso.

It is a fully funded restoration with private funds made available by the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore and the Guild of the Dome Association, which includes entrepreneurs around the world.

To date there are two restored panels, The baptism of Christ and the temptations of Christ, while cleanup is underway other 26 with scenes from the new testament, Evangelists and doctors of the Church, as well as the 47 Heads of prophets and sibyls in the frame, including the self-portrait of Ghiberti with turban, and the frieze with Ivy leaves, berries and small animals: insects, reptiles and molluscs.

When you are going to study the traces of gilding found within quadrilobate of frames and panels in some of the leonine heads present at the back of the two doors, presumably the latter performed with gold leaf.

"The cleanup results – He said the Superintendent of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, Marco Ciatti – are truly exceptional and, albeit with some typical inhomogeneity of ancient artifacts due to source technical and local conditions of preservation, two aspects are imposed from the beginning: the extraordinary fineness and quality of execution and the splendid gilding on the figures that stand out against the dark background. Graduality and selectivity of laser action give a high quality result, with a total respect of the material and aesthetic features of opera ... ".

The restoration of the monumental northern gate is previous experience gained from the Factory on the great project for the conservation and restoration of the Porta del Paradiso, completed in September 2012 After 27 years: the many technological innovations and the high professionalism of the staff, they had an immediate positive impact and.

To this it must be added that all the costs of restoration and construction of a replica artfully executed, that will replace the original on the Baptistery for conservation reasons, will be supported by the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore and the Guild of The Dome Association.

This will restore the North Gate in an exceptionally short time compared to the amount of work and the importance of the intervention.

For the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, the restoration of the North Gate is part of a larger redevelopment project of all monuments of Piazza del Duomo in Florence – Center of a single Museum system referred to as "the Great Cathedral Museum" – that will be committed until 2015 with the cleaning and restoration of all marble facades of the Cathedral, the baptistery of San Giovanni Battista and the Palazzo dei Canonici – for a total of 40 thousand square meters, of which approximately 25 thousand already completed and 15 mila still to be carried out – and with the expansion and re-equipping of the new Museo dell'Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore that double spaces reaching a useful surface 5.250 mq.

The restoration of the North Gate is started with the first preliminary investigation in January 2013, While still on the Baptistery, and is continued in the laboratories of the Factory, where was delivered on the night of 18 and 19 April.

On completion of the preliminary investigation, Unable to determine the State of degradation of the surfaces and the methodology to be adopted for the restoration, We proceeded with the cleanup carried out tests on different areas with different conservation issues.

To follow is begun clean up of the work performed with the laser on the Golden parts, integrated with the use of specific chemical solutions and small dental instruments.

Bronze cleaning, Instead it is done mechanically with the use of tools such as the scalpel and compressed air tools for scaling multiple concretions.

The term restoration is planned in October 2015, When the masterpiece of Ghiberti will be exhibited permanently, next to the Porta del Paradiso, in the new museum that will open at the National church meeting of the Italian Bishops ' Conference, to be held in Florence.

Given the work that opens the season of the Renaissance in Florence, the North Door of the baptistery is the second in order of time (1403 – 1424), After that of Andrea Pisano (1330 -1336) and before the gate of Heaven (1425- 1452).

Probably the intention of the rich Merchants ' Guild, L'arte di Calimala, was to achieve the baptistery doors one behind the other, but a series of events, including the plague of 1348, stopped this project was revived only in 1400, When it was decided to hold a contest for the second door of the baptistery.

You will participate in addition to Ghiberti, Filippo Brunelleschi, his main rival, Simone from Colle, Niccolò d'arezzo, Jacopo della Quercia of Siena, Francesco di Valdambrino and Niccolò Lamberti.

The artists will be asked to create a panel with the theme of the sacrifice of Isaac in the same period of time, one year.

Lorenzo di Bartoluccio Ghiberti (1378-1455), also called "Nencio" will win the contest and will work for the rest of his life at the doors of the Baptistry that will make rich and famous.

For his work will be handsomely paid enough to afford a group of collaborators including renowned artists such as father Goldsmith Bartoluccio, Donatello, Michelozzo and young apprentices as Paolo Uccello.

Of equals monumental della Porta del Paradiso, the North Gate so far 3 feet wide for 5 Tall, each of the 2 ante is weighing over 4 tons for a total of 9.

Ghiberti has resumed the pattern of Andrea Pisano's South Gate with 28 the same quatrefoil shape tiles, but significant differences.

In more than twenty years after Lorenzo and his workshop will work in this company ghibertiano style evolve from that Gothic of the early scenes in the Renaissance of the last entirely.

Basilica of San Lorenzo and Santa Maria Novella, Florence.

Drafting

By the number 1 – The Year of 15/01/2014