The Raising of Lazarus

Lorenzo Ghiberti takes on another important Christian theme with this bronze panel from his north doors series that captured The Raising of Lazarus

The sculptured rock used by Ghiberti throughout this series is found here at the top and bottom of the composition with the rest being filled with a plethora of figures who lead the eye towards the main focus of this artwork. It is unfortunate that the original gilt has been lost, leaving a darker finish to this bronze panel.

The lack of variety of colour or shadow makes it harder to appreciate the beauty of this piece as compared to his panels for the Gates of Paradise, where the original gilt remains in much better condition.

Lorenzo Ghiberti's sculptured panels have been described by some as amongst the highlights of the entire Renaissance art movement, particularly from the early period. Whilst it was his follow-up project, termed as The Gates of Paradise by Michelangelo, these would never have happened were it for the reputation built from his earlier series.

This sculptor knew how to strike a deal - whilst his personality was diplomatic rather than aggressive, he was consistently able to negotiate very good terms for both himself and for the other members of his studio. Most are aware of Donatello being amongst his studio assistants, but he was actually just one of a large number of highly skilled artists who supported Ghiberti's work at some point in his career.