PORTA DELLA MANDORLA RESTORED


La Porta della Mandorla - YouTube 

After an extensive ten-year restoration, the monumental Porta della Mandorla ( the Almond Door) of Florence Cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore, can now be admired in its original glory. The masterpiece of Nanni di Banco and last of the seven Cathedral doors to be decorated, the entrance owes its name to the Gothic almond-shaped halo, held up by angels, enclosing the Assumption of the Virgin Maria and St. Thomas.

The monumental door documents the evolution of Florentine sculpture between the end of the '300-beginning '400, with other major artists, such as Donatello, Giovanni Tedesco, Lorenzo d'Ambrogio, Niccolò di Pietro Lamberti and Bernardo Ciuffagni, contributing to the completion of the 18m-high work. Nanni di Banco, the principal artist involved, died prematurely in 1421 before he and his assistants could finish their section, hailed nonetheless as a masterpiece of high relief sculpture.

Restoration work also included a 700 sqm portion of the facade.

 

For information: www.operaduomo.fi.it

Posted on 18 Jun 2012 by Editor
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