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Gates of P

aradise

Gates of Paradise

© 2011 wheresjenny.com

Gates of P

aradise

'Gates of Paradise' in Florence restored to former glory The Renaissance bronze and gold doors of the Florence Baptistry -- a

masterpiece known as the "Gates of Paradise" -- will be unveiled in September after a 27-year restoration, officials said on Thursday.

"Hidden away in 1943 during World War II and damaged by the flood of 1966, the doors were replaced by a copy in 1990," the museum said in a statement.

The doors are 5.2 metres (16.7 feet) by 3.1 metres and are 11 centimetres thick and were built between 1426 and 1456 by the artist Lorenzo Ghiberti.

The story goes that when the work was unveiled, Michelangelo was so struck by the beauty of the doors that he named them the "Gates of Paradise".

The doors are divided up into 10 panels, each with a story from the Old Testament. Each panel is itself surrounded by a border with 48 tiny images including a self-portrait of the artist and representations of the prophets.

Administrators said that the doors will be kept in a transparent display case to keep the humidity low so as to avoid the formation of various salts that could damage the thin covering of gold on the different panels.

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Gates of P

aradise

Vocabulary Restoration: The return of something to a former owner, place, or condition.Unveiled: Remove a veil or covering from, esp. uncover (a new monument or work of art) as part of a public ceremony.Gilded: Covered thinly with gold leaf or gold paint.Narrative: A spoken or written account of connected events; a story.Panel: A thin, typically rectangular piece of wood or glass forming or set into the surface of a door, wall, or ceiling.

© 2011 wheresjenny.com

Gates of P

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English French

restoration restauration

unveiled dévoilé

gilded doré

narrative récit

panel panneau

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Gates of P

aradise

Ghiberti's "Gates of Paradise"

are comprised of ten gilded

bronze relief panels depicting

scenes from the Old Testament.

Ghiberti persists in using the

medieval narrative method of

presenting several episodes

within a single frame.

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Gates of P

aradise

Have you heard these Bible stories?

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=Moses & the 10 commandments

Adam & Eve

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Gates of P

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Have you heard these Bible stories?

Abraham & Isaac

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Noah’s Ark

Have you heard these Bible stories?

King Solomon & Queen Sheba