The 1401 competition for the Northern door of the Baptistery has been particularly important because it marked the beginning of the Renaissance.
The situation in which Florence found itself in 1401 was extremely difficult both from a political point of view and also due to the recent plague that now cyclically afflicted the city after that of 1348.
At this time, the Guild of Calimala, the Guild of the Merchants (official sponsor of the Baptistry) decided to give a sign of rebirth and held a competition to build a door to embellish the Baptistery.
But let’s go in order.
The baptistery
The Baptistery had been the main building in Florence in the Middle Ages both from a religious point of view, since only with Baptism it was possible to access Paradise, but above all for its political value.
It had been the site of the large public celebrations. Here until the beginning of the fourteenth century the investitures of the knights took place and it was the seat for solemn oaths.
It is no coincidence that when Dante dreamt of returning to Florence as a great poet, he thought of come back exactly to the baptistery:
“by then with other voice, with other fleece,
I shall return as poet and put on,
at my baptismal font, the laurel crown ” – Paradise, Ch XXV
The building of Palazzo Vecchio moved the political center to another place in Florence, but the Baptistery was still the most important “church” of the city, given that Santa Maria del Fiore was still under construction and Santa Reparata was no longer visible becauseclosed inside the construction site of the new cathedral.
Political situation
The Republic of Florence was in an extremely difficult political situation in 1401.
The main actor of the moment in Italy was called Gian Galeazzo Visconti, lord of Milan.
For brevity we remember him as “lord of Milan” but in reality he was much more. Giangalezzo Visconti represented the first attempt of creating a regional state in Italy. In fact, he ruled over Lombardy, a large part of Piedmont and a large part of Veneto and in the late fourteenth century, early fifteenth century het had arrived in Tuscany, surrounding Florence.
In those years he conquered Umbria and Bologna and at the beginning of 1399 he bought the city of Pisa from Gherardo Leonardo Appiani and in September 1400 Siena gave himself to the Duke of Milan in order to contrast the Florentine aims. In Tuscany only Lucca and Florence were not his!
1401 Competition for the Northern door of the Baptistry
In 1401 the Baptistery had only one door (the South one) made by Andrea Pisano in 1330.
They wanted to build a new door that would be dedicated to the episodes of the New Testament.
The best artists of the period took part in the competition, among the most famous besides Ghiberti, we remember Brunelleschi and Jacopo della Quercia.
The theme of the competition
The panel that the artists had to submit within 1 year was the Sacrifice of Isaac.
The theme is that of faith in God, that of entrusting oneself to God who protects his beloved children.
Abraham, at a late age, was blessed with the birth of a son, Isaac and God asked him to sacrifice his beloved son to him.
Abraham trusted God and was about to kill his son when an angel stopped him.
The choice of the theme does not seem accidental but most likely refers to the situation in Florence, that was threateningly surrounded on all sides by the Milanese troops and that saw in God’s help towards his beloved children the only solution (Please just think that the idea of beeing chosen by God is the dominant theme of the statues which will then be created for Piazza della Signoria)
Victory
Ghiberti and Brunelleschi’s panels are still preserved in the Bargello Museum.
Luckily for us Brunelleschi lost (otherwise who could have built the dome?). Actually his biographer, Manetti talksof an ex aequo instead. It was Brunelleschi who refused to work together with Ghiberti.
While Ghiberti, in his Commentarii attributed a unanimous victory to himself: “Universally I was granted glory without any exception”.
In 1402 the victory therefore went to Ghiberti who started working on this door for almost 25 years.
And what happened to Giangalezzo Visconti?
Well, Giangalezzo died of a plague, probably malaria in 1402.
God had chosen.
And the Renaissance began in Florence
Moral of the story:
The Renaissance was born from a great public investment despite epidemics and threats of conquest.
In times of crisis institutions choices’ always make the difference.