The Temptation in the Wilderness

Temptation in the Wilderness was one of 28 gilted bronze panels produced by Lorenzo Ghiberti for his series of north doors.

This scene again features flying angels in the sky, with activity down on earth too. This is intended to draw together God with us, to make the Christian stories accessible and real in our minds. Ghiberti tended to create rock based landscapes in his foregrounds that would come out of the artwork in a three dimensional finish that was only available to sculptors.

Perhaps symbolically, it is only the wings of the angels that still carry the original gilt, with most now worn away. Much of the famous artwork from the Renaissance was not looked after particularly well up until recent centuries and Ghiberti is sadly one of those artists whose oeuvre suffered siginificant damage. The North Doors were kept outside and this resulted in years of pollution impacting the bronze before finally they were taken indoors and the exterior has copies installed.

Ghiberti was a highly respected contributor to the Italian Renaissance, but far from the only one. Some of the other artists worth checking out, beyond the most obvious, would include the likes of Andrea del Verrocchio, Sebastiano del Piombo and Fra Angelico. Sculpture, fresco painting and architecture made considerable advancements during this art movement, with it being so influential that it became necessary to sub divide it into the early, high and late Renaissance.