Lorenzo Ghiberti's east door of the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Florence, long famed as the Gates of Paradise, displays Old Testament stories in sculptural relief on ten gilded bronze panels. Stressing the significance of the Gates of Paradise as a public monument imbedded in the fabric of Florentine society will enhance our understanding of the cultural use of the door within its built environment. Consideration of its context could in turn clarify the motivation behind the choices for the iconographical program. Previous studies of the Gates of Paradise tend to isolate each narrative panel rather than examining the Gates as one door made up of ten unified panels (including decorative framing). As a result, the Gates of Paradise have rarely been looked at in terms of architectural function or context. The approach of the present study focuses on the Gates of Paradise as a significant architectural feature of Florence's built environment, as a feature that functioned as a centerpiece for the Baptistery and the Cathedral complex, and as a setting for the many spectacles that took place in that environment. This investigation aims to define the inseparable religious and civic functioning of the Gates of Paradise and to identify connections between specific function and the iconographical program. The research examines in depth the imagery of the Gates of Paradise, scrutinizing the function of the Gates within its physical setting, in the ceremonies of baptism, and in the regular rituals of the Florentine liturgical calendar. This hitherto-unexamined analysis of the Florentine liturgical ritual utilizes Medieval and Renaissance service books such as the Ritus in ecclesia servandi, Mores et consuetudines canonice florentine, Missal Ms. Edili 107 (Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana), and the Missale romanum Mediolani, 1474. The examination of the Gates' function offers illumination of the possible meaning(s) conveyed by the choice of biblical narratives that make up the program. Research suggests that the iconographical program for the Gates of Paradise connects predominantly to its major function as the principal ritual entrance for the Baptistery. The program reiterates the liturgy for the season leading up to the Church's traditional celebratory period of baptism and the baptismal liturgy. While most days throughout the year the south portal was used for the daily baptismal ceremony, this special baptism-related use of the Gates reinforce the liturgy of the season which teaches and emphasizes the significance of the sacrament of baptism and the role of the Church in salvation.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1974. / Typescript. Vita. English and Italian in parallel columns. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Proefschrift - Utrecht.

Depuis une vingtaine d’années, les historiens de l’art s’intéressent de près à la microarchitecture, c’est-à-dire la miniaturisation d’édifices dans les oeuvres d’art, en particulier dans l’orfèvrerie. Les études sur le sujet se concentrent toutefois essentiellement sur la période médiévale et s’attachent à définir dans quelle mesure ces oeuvres imitent des édifices existants. Elles sont rarement étendues à d’autres périodes. Or, la Renaissance florentine, marquée par une mutation profonde de l’art d’édifier et de concevoir l’architecture, constitue une fenêtre d’observation privilégiée, que nous mettons à profit pour explorer les liens que les édifices miniaturisés en orfèvrerie entretiennent avec leurs homologues monumentaux architecturés. Pour ce faire, nous identifions trois fonctions de la microarchitecture : celle d’objet ou de partie d’un objet (Objectum), celle d’assemblage d’éléments architecturaux (Ædiculum), celle d’image offerte au regard du spectateur (Imago). Dans Objectum, la microarchitecture est envisagée à travers la pièce d’orfèvrerie qu’elle contribue à orner, son contexte de fabrication et sa matérialité. Cet examen est aussi l’occasion de présenter les matériaux et les techniques utilisées en orfèvrerie. Ædiculum est consacré à l’étude des éléments architecturaux qui composent les petits édifices. Ces éléments mettent au jour des correspondances entre l’orfèvrerie et d’autres arts, tels que la sculpture ou la peinture. Dans Imago, nous montrons que les petites dimensions de la microarchitecture, qui la rendent propre à être embrassée du regard, en font une image qui engage un dialogue privilégié avec le spectateur grâce à un ensemble de dispositifs, qui vont de ses qualités esthétiques à sa capacité évocatrice en passant par les significations religieuses et politiques dont elle est chargée. Au total, cette étude montre que la microarchitecture ne se définit pas nécessairement dans son rapport avec la grande architecture mais consiste plutôt en un phénomène artistique indépendant et universel. / For the last twenty years art historians have developed an interest in microarchitecture: the miniaturization of architecture in works of art, especially in goldsmithery. Studies dedicated to the topic mostly focus on medieval period, trying to define which large-scale buildings these works might imitate. However, these studies are rarely extended to other periods of time. Renaissance Florence, characterized by a deep transformation of the art of architecture, is a significant period we chose in order to observe the connections between miniaturized and monumental buildings. This requires the identification of three aspects of microarchitecture: being an object or part of an object (Objectum), combining different architectural motives (Ædiculum) and presenting itself as an image to be seen by a viewer (Imago). With Objectum, we examine the microarchitecture in relation to the work it contributes to ornate as well as within its context of production. This inspection is also a relevant opportunity to present the materials and the techniques used by the goldsmiths. With Ædicula, we study the architectural motives that compose the miniaturized buildings. The motives show the similarities between goldsmithery and other arts like sculpture and painting. With Imago, we consider the dialog that microarchitecture establishes with the viewer thanks to several dispositives such as the æsthetic qualities of the pieces, their ability to evocated something familiar (a building) and, sometimes, their religious and political meanings. In total, this study argues that micorarchitecture does not necessarily define itself within its relationship to large-scale architecture but should rather be understood as an independent, universal artistic phenomenon.