The gates of paradise

From a full-scale replica of a Lorenzo Ghiberti masterpiece to bronze statues by Benvenuto Cellini, some rare and exquisite artworks from the Florentine Renaissance are on view in Mumbai

Lorenzo Ghiberti was only 21 years old when he was awarded a chance to design the gates for the Florence Baptistery in 1401, under the patronage of the Guild of Wool Merchants. That is also exactly the number of years it took the artist thereafter to make the massive North doors, a 28-panel structure in gilded bronze, depicting the life of Christ from the New Testament. He later won another assignment to create the East doors - labelled by Michelangelo as the "Gates of Paradise" - a key masterpiece from the Florentine Renaissance.

A full-scale replica of this second work, cast from the original mould, is currently on display at the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Byculla in Mumbai. The exhibition has been brought to the city in collaboration with the Guild of the Dome, among other organisations in Italy. The art and culture of Florence developed with investments by rich traders and merchants and similarly, the restoration of works is being financed by private sector players. The guild, which was founded by a few entrepreneurs from around the world, including Niraj and Minal Bajaj from India, is funding the revival of the North doors as well.

The idea to showcase the Renaissance through these replica gates developed last summer during conversations in Florence with Tasneem Mehta, the curator of Bhau Daji Lad, says guild president Enrico Marinelli. That is how the work found its way to Mumbai, reaching the doorstep of the museum late in March and carried in manually by around 50 people, since a crane is not allowed around heritage structures. This is the first tour for the gates - it will head to New Delhi and New York next.

Also on display are some panels from Ghiberti's first creation (the North doors), models of bronze statues by Benvenuto Cellini as well as photographs loaned by Kunsthistorisches Institut tracing the transformation of Florence. One photograph shows a monument built in visible Indian fashion, a 1874 tribute to a prince, Sahib Bahadur Raja from Kolhapur, at Parco Delle Cascine. The bridge behind the park is to date referred to as "the India bridge."

"The Gates of Paradise" portray scenes from the Old Testament in 10 panels. By the time Ghiberti started making them, he had gained more experience as a sculptor. This is visible in how he expertly establishes the backdrop and foreground, using a lighter hand for the former and bold, pronounced chiselling for characters in the latter. The effect is gloriously three-dimensional. Fifty years of the artist's life were spent working on the project, though not exclusively. The door frame is intricately styled too.

The replica is made using the same techniques employed for the original five centuries ago. The original is a 'lost-wax' bronze cast with precious goldsmith quality chiselling and real gold gilding on it. Its restoration was funded by Choichiro Motoyama, veteran Japanese retailer and art patron. There are challenges and discoveries made in the ongoing restoration of the North gates. "It revealed unexpected chiselling details. Most importantly, it revealed after centuries the extraordinary gilt which was covered with dark sediment due to pollution," says Marinelli.

The exhibition has generated interest among museum regulars as well as students visiting through educational outreach programmes, says curatorial assistant Ami Mehta. In the span of an hour, we spotted schoolchildren and elderly men and women gaping at the structure with equal awe.

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The full-scale replica, sculpture productions and photographs are on display at the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Byculla until June 3