Gates of Paradise at SAM

Three of Ghiberti's "Gates of Paradise" panels are on display at Seattle Art Museum thru Apr 6.

At left is a photo I took of one of the 3 panels last December in New York at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They are spectacular. I highly recommend seeing them.

Michelangelo is credited with dubbing them “the gates of paradise,” and sixteenth-century artist and writer Giorgio Vasari called them “the finest masterpiece ever created, either in ancient or modern times.” Three stunning panels from Lorenzo Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise, one of the most celebrated works of the Italian Renaissance, are on view at SAM Downtown. This exhibition marks the first time that the bronze panels have traveled to the United States since their creation over 550 years ago. Generations of admirers have praised the monumental doors of the Florence baptistery for their compelling portrayal of scenes from the Old Testament and their innovative treatment of architectural space.

The panels were originally created for display on doors leading into a church in Florence, the Babtistry. Currently, the Babtistry displays copies of the panels.