Ghiberti’s masterpiece, dubbed the “Gates of Paradise”, are beautiful relief panels adorning the doors of the Baptistry of San Giovanni in Florence. It took over twenty years for Ghiberti to complete this project! He first carved wax molds, then cast them in bronze, and then polished, sanded, and incised details. Finally, he covered them with a layer of gold. Twenty years on the same project takes a lot of dedication!
Our twenty-first century replica is to use wax wikki stix, dull pencils, and aluminum foil to create the same thing in half an hour. Well, maybe not the same thing, but you get the idea.
Materials:
- Print-out of crosses
- Glue stick
- 5” x 7” cardboard rectangles
- Wikki stix (4 per student)
- Heavy-duty aluminum foil
- Dull-tipped pencils or sticks
- Optional: Q-tips
- Optional: school glue
- Black shoe polish (or black tempera paint, paint brush, and paper towel)
- Book/images of Ghiberti’s work
Here is the Cycle 1 Week 14- Ghiberti lesson plan. This document has examples of cross designs for students to get inspiration from.
Note! The video doesn’t show it, but students can use any extra wikki stix pieces to add 3-dimensional design to the interior of the cross. After outlining the cross, use extra pieces to add design, then cover with foil.
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