St. John the Baptist (Ghiberti)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| St. John the Baptist |
| Lorenzo Ghiberti, 1405–1417 |
| Bronze, height 255 cm |
| Florence, Orsanmichele |
St. John the Baptist (1412-1416) is a bronze statue by Lorenzo Ghiberti located in one of the 14 niches of the Orsanmichele in Florence, Italy. The statue of the Saint was commissioned by the wool merchant's guild, the Arte di Calimala. The artist's use of the unnaturalistic but elegant curves in the hair and drapery of the saint show the influence of the International Gothic style prevalent in Italy at the time the work was created. The work was successfully cast in a single piece, making it the first bronze statue of its size to be cast in a single piece for at least several hundred years in Italy.
[edit] References
- Hartt, Frederick and Wilkins , David G. History of Italian Renaissance Art. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006.
- "sculpture, Western." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 18 Nov. 2007 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-30385>.
