Christ among the Doctors

Christ among the Doctors continues Ghiberti's concentration on the life of Christ in his initial series of bronze doors

This panel was to become part of his north doors, named after their final location at the Florence Baptistery having originally been on display in the east of the building. Andrea Pisano's earlier doors were to prove highly influential on Ghiberti who took that Late Gothic style into this series.

Sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti made use of several of his assistants in order to complete this challenging commission alongside several other projects. Thankfully, several members of his studio were particularly skilled themselves and so there were not too much of a drop in quality in the areas of composition that he asked for help with.

Donatello was perhaps the most famous of all to pass through the tutorship of Ghiberti and would surpass his master over time with classic sculptures such as David, Equestrian statue of Gattamelata, Judith and Holofernes and Zuccone. There were also several other highly significant painters, sculptors and archiects in the Early Renaissance around this time, including Filippo Brunelleschi and the earlier Masaccio and Giotto di Bondone.

The format found in this composition is consistent with most of Ghiberti's north doors, with a flurry of active figures in the foreground and a suggestion of architecture at the rear. Some of the original gilt still remains to give us a better understanding of how it would have looked when completed all those centuries ago.