The North Doors of Florence’s Baptistery are gilded, just like the famous East Doors, better known as the “Gates of Paradise” doors.
The discovery was revealed during the restoration work carried out by the experts of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure of Florence, a public art restoration institute.
Two panels, The Baptism of Christ and The Temptation of Christ, have gone from black to shiny gold. The restoration work on the remaining 26 panels, the decorative borders, the 47 heads of prophets, sibyls and Ghiberti himself wearing a turban is scheduled to be completed in autumn of 2015.
Ghiberti spent 21 years, from 1403 to 1424, crafting the North Doors, which were to depict scenes from the New Testament. He was later commissioned to produce a second set of panels, this time with scenes from the Old Testament. Instead of repeating the 28 panels that make up the North Doors, he produced 10 rectangular scenes in a different style, which Michelangelo called "The Gates of Paradise".
