Lorenzo Ghiberti, Frame of the Gate of Paradise

Frame of the Gate of Paradise, in partially gilded bronze, made by Lorenzo Ghiberti with the help of his son Vittorio, in 1425-1452. The frame has a relief decoration on both the internal and external sides. On the front side, emerging from two vases placed at the base of the jambs, are two series of plant festoons populated by symbolic animals of the undergrowth and birds, which connect and unite in the center of the architrave by means of two vine shoots with bunches loaded with grapes. Among the bunches, that are evident allusions to the sacrament of the Eucharist, stands the eagle with the torso, emblem of the Arte di Calimala, the guild that supervised the Baptistery. Stems of roses and lilies are depicted on the inner side of the jambs and architrave, held together by a ribbon that winds in a spiral, alluding to the heavenly bliss to which humanity can return through the sacrament of Baptism.