The Way to Calvary

The Way to Calvary continues the depiction of episodes from the life of Jesus Christ in Lorenzo Ghiberti's gilted bronze panels for the North Doors of the Florence Baptistery.

We approach the sad demise of the Son of God as he is carried off for his crucifixion, following his betrayal in the Last Supper, followed by the judgement delivered by Pontius Pilate.

The Way to Calvary makes use of Ghiberti's skills in depicting architecture. The artist places a grand looking palace or castle at the top of the painting to add an element of style to the scene. The main focus will of course remain on Jesus and the group of figures who surround him. This episode occurs just before the Crucifixion, with him here being dragged along with the cross that he is to be nailed to.

The influence of Andrea Pisano's earlier doors for the Florence Baptistery continue in this panel with a style which feels very much of the Late Gothic era. The pattern to the outline of the artwork is also very similar to those used by Pisano. Ghiberti was a more confident, bolder artist by the time of his Gates of Paradise and these went in a more modern direction.

As with all of these key moments in the life of Jesus Christ, many other artists have also depicted The Way to Calvary as either a drawing, painting or sculpture. The Renaissance was particularly frequent for this, because its strong connection to the Christian faith. See Pieter Bruegel's Procession to Calvary.