Gates of Paradise - Ghiberti

We just learned about the famous sculpture Judith and Holofernes by Donatello.

Another Renaissance art sculpture is the Gates of Paradise by Lorenzo Ghiberti in Florence Italy in 1401 AD.

These doors are at the Florence Baptistry, and have ten different panels, each one of them carved to show a story from the Old Testament in the Bible: Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac with Esau and Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.

When Michelangelo saw these doors with golden carvings on them, he called them the "Gates of Paradise", and everyone always called the doors by that name.

Ghiberti also made another set of doors for this church that showed scenes from the New Testament.


(from: wikipedia - florence baptistery)


(from: wikipedia - lorenzo Ghiberti)


(from: wikipedia - florence baptistery)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Moschophoros

Judith and Holofernes - Donatello

We just learned about the Renaissance sculpture of David by Michelangelo.

Another famous sculpture from this time is Judith and Holofernes by Donatello in 1464 in Italy.

This sculpture was different because it was meant to be looked at from all sides, not just the front.
It is a sculpture of a woman named Judith.
In the story of Judith, there was a man named Holofernes who was the leader of an army that wanted to kill her people.
She tricked him into thinking that she liked him, and then when he was sleeping she killed him to save her people and stop the war.

Some people from the town of Florence look at this story as an example of a humble servant winning the battle against a wicked person full of pride.

(from: wikipedia - judith and holofernes (donatello))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Winged Victory of Samothrace

David - Michelangelo

We just learned about the Tomb of Pope Julius II.

Another Renaissance Art sculpture is David by Michelangelo in Florence, in 1504 AD.

This is a sculpture of David from the Bible, and the eyes of David are looking toward Rome, as a way to defend the city of Florence from other stronger cities.

The sculpture is 17 feet tall and made of marble.


(from: wikipedia - david (michelangelo))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Peplos Kore

Tomb of Pope Julius II - Michelangelo

We just learned about the Pietà by Michelangelo Buonarroti.

Another Renaissance Art sculpture is the Tomb of Pope Julius II by Michelangelo.

Michelangelo had great plans to build a gigantic three story wall with 40 statues in it, but sadly he was told to make it a lot smaller and only put in a few statues.

The most famous of his statues in this tomb is a large almost 8 foot tall Moses sitting and holding the tablets of the Ten Commandments in his one hand.
In this sculpture Moses has horns on his head, because when Moses came down from the mountain after seeing God, his face was enlightened, and some people thought that meant he had horns on his head like rays of light pointing to heaven.
Michelangelo was so proud of his sculpture of Moses that when he was done he hit it on the knee and shouted "NOW SPEAK" because it looked so lifelike almost like it was real.

There are also statues of the sisters Rachel and Leah next to Moses.

The other sculptures above Moses were made by another sculptor.



(from: wikipedia - tomb of pope julius ii)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Sphinx of Naxos

Pietà - Michelangelo Buonarroti

We just learned about the Bamberg Horseman.

Another famous sculpture is the Pietà by Michelangelo Buonarroti in 1498 AD.
Michelangelo is one of the most famous Renaissance art sculptors of all time.
The Renaissance was a time when many artists from all over the continent of Europe got together and worked to share and create many masterpieces of art and music.

The word pietà means pity, and this is a sculpture of Mary the mother of Jesus sadly holding him on her lap after he was crucified.



(from: wikipedia - pietà (michelangelo))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Charioteer of Delphi

Bamberg Horseman

We just learned about the Holy Thorn Reliquary.

Another Gothic Art sculpture was the Bamberg Horseman, made in Germany around 1225 AD.

This is a statue of a man riding a horse, and the man is either a king, emperor or saint, but no one knows for sure who it is supposed to be, because the history of it was lost or forgotten.

There were many statues of people on horses long ago, but for a long time people had stopped making statues like that until the Bamberg Horseman was made.

It is also one of the first statues to show the bottom of a horse's foot wearing a horseshoe.

Underneath the front part of the statue where the horse is standing is a sculpted face that looks like a man's face made out of leaves.
This type of sculpture is sometimes called the "Green Man" and can mean a lot of different things like respecting nature, the growth of spring, or maybe even mythological creatures.


(from: wikipedia - bamberg horseman)


(from: wikipedia - green man)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Block Statue of Pa-Ankh-Ra

Casket with Scenes of Romances

We just learned about the Virgin and Child from the Sainte-Chapelle.

Another Gothic art sculpture is the Casket with Scenes of Romances, made in Paris, France around the year 1340.
This is a small box made out of elephant tusks called ivory, where a royal person could have kept their special things like jewelry.
It is about 5 inches tall and 10 inches wide, and 5 inches deep.

The carvings on the casket are of a bunch of Romantic stories from history, like Sir Lancelot, or Tristand and Iseult.



(from: wikipedia - casket with scenes of romances (walters 71264))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pendant of Osorkon II

Virgin and Child from the Sainte-Chapelle

We just learned about the Scaliger Tombs.

Another famous Gothic Art sculpture is the Virgin and Child from the Sainte-Chapelle.
It was made for the cathedral in Paris called the Sainte Chapelle, some time around 1270 AD.
The statue has been moved to the Louvre museum in Paris.

This is a 41 cm sculpture of Mary holding the baby Jesus, and it is carved out of ivory, the tusks of elephants, and has some gold on Mary's robe and belt.
Mary has a little smile on her face, and she is holding an apple that Jesus is reaching for.
Because the robes, coat, hair and faces are so well carved like a real person, some people believe this sculpture is the most beautiful ivory carving ever made.


(from: wikipedia - virgin and child from the sainte-chapelle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Younger Memnon

Scaliger Tombs

We just learned about the Pulpit of Sant' Andrea.

Another famous Gothic Art sculpture is the Scaliger Tombs.

The Scaliger family ruled in Verona Italy for over 100 years, and these tombs were made to honor the rulers when they were buried in them.
The tombs are covered in sculptures of the family, then surrounded by sculpted columns, walls and spires with statues, and on top is a large statue of the ruler riding a horse.



(from: wikipedia - scaliger tombs)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Nefertiti Bust

Pulpit of Sant' Andrea - Pisano

We just learned about the Fontana Maggiore.

Another Gothic art sculpture is the Pulpit of Sant' Andrea in Pistoia Italy, sculpted by artist Giovanni Pisano in 1301 AD.

Giovanni Pisano is the son of the famous sculptor Nicola Pisano, who sculpted the Siena Cathedral Pulpit that is a lot like this pulpit.

There are many sculptures carved into the pulpit, and on each side they tell a different stories, like Jesus as a baby, the wise men visiting Jesus, or Jesus on the cross.




(from: wikipedia - pulpit of sant' andrea, pistoia (giovanni pisano))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Tutankhamun's Mask

Fontana Maggiore - Pisano

We just learned about the Siena Cathedral Pulpit.

Another gothic sculpture is the Fontana Maggiore made in Italy in 1278 by the famous sculptors Nicola and Giovanni Pisano.

There are twenty five sides of the fountain basin, and they have sculptures of many things from the Bible like prophets, saints, stories from Genesis, and also signs of the zodiac.


(from: wikipedia - fontana maggiore)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Statue of Gudea

Siena Cathedral Pulpit

We just learned about the Portals at Reims Cathedral.

Another gothic art sculpture is the Siena Cathedral Pulpit.

This pulpit was carved by a famous artist named Nicola Pisano.

It tells seven different stories, one on each face of the pulpit.
All the stories are about the life of Christ, from his birth to death and the last judgement.

(from: wikipedia - siena cathedral pulpit)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cylinder Seal

Portals at Reims Cathedral

We just learned about the Portals at Chartres Cathedral.

Another set of Gothic sculptures are Portals at Reims Cathedral built in France, year 1211 AD.

These portals are large sculpted doorways with arches and columns full of figures that tell stories.
The only cathedral that has more sculptures is the Chartres that we just learned about.

One of the portals tells the story of Mary the mother of Jesus.
Another tells the story of Jesus and the last judgement.
The third portal tells the story of the prophets and apostles.
There is also a famous sculpture of a smiling angel that was damaged in war, and then fixed later.


(from: wikipedia - reims cathedral)


(from: wikipedia - reims cathedral)


(from: wikipedia - reims cathedral)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lyres of Ur

Portals at Chartres Cathedral

We just learned about the Pórtico da Gloria.

After the Romanesque time of sculptures, a new type of sculpture came around, called Gothic.
This was a lot like the Romanesque, but the statues and buildings were taller, had more windows, and were more pointed to the sky, like they were celebrating heaven.

One type of Gothic sculpture was the large sculptures above doorways, called portals at the Chartres Cahtedral.
There were three different entrances to the Cathedral, and each of them had three arch ways full of sculptures.
From the tympanum over the doorway, to the pillars holding the doorway up, there are hundreds of sculptures.

They all tell many stories from the Bible, from King Solomon, to John the Baptist, to Mary the mother of Jesus.





(from: wikipedia - chartres cathedral)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Copper Bull

Pórtico da Gloria - Mateo

We just learned about the Tympanum at Vézelay Abbey by Gislebertus.

Another Romanesque sculpture is the Pórtico da Gloria in Spain, made by sculptor Master Mateo in 1188 AD.

This is a large archway with three sculpted columns and a tympanum above the arch.
There are over 200 sculptures in this archway, showing Christ with his apostles and prophets, and also showing stories from the Old and New Testament.


(from: wikipedia - portico of glory)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ram in a Thicket

Tympanum at Vézelay Abbey - Gislebertus

We just learned about the sculpture of the Prophet Jeremiah at Mosaic Abbey.

Another Romanesque sculpture is the Tympanum at Vézelay Abbey built in France, 1130 AD.

Just like the Last Judgement Tympanum at the Autun Cathedral in France, this sculpture was made by the sculptor Gislebertus.
It is a tympanum which is a large sculpture over a doorway.

Most of the sculptures like this in churches at that time showed pictures warning of the end of the world, or talked about when Jesus would come back again.

This sculpture is different because it talks about the apostles mission to go off and tell the world about Christianity.


(from: wikipedia - vézelay abbey)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Trundholm Sun Chariot

Prophet Jeremiah at Mosaic Abbey

We just learned about the Last Judgement Tympanum by Gislebertus.

Another example of Romanesque sculpture is the Prophet Jeremiah at Mosaic Abbey.

This is a sculpture of Jeremiah on a pillar at a monestary in France.
Because this sculpture was part of a pillar holding up the building, the sculptor had to try and make it in a way that it would fit on the small space on the column.
It could not be a large statue of Jeremiah with his hands out, or with large flowing robes, it had to be smaller and squeezed in to fit on the pillar.


(from: wikipedia - mosaic abbey)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gundestrup Cauldron

Last Judgement Tympanum - Gislebertus

We just learned about the Lewis Chessmen.

Another famous Romanesque sculpture is the Last Judgement Tympanum at Autun Cathedral in France, made by the sculptor Gislebertus in 1130.

A tympanum is a half circle or triangle shaped sculptured wall over a doorway or window.

This sculpture has Jesus Christ very large in the center, surrounded by the Virgin Mary and the apostles.
The left side shows people trying to get into Heaven, with St. Peter and angels.
The right side shows people being judged in Hell by demons and angels.
There are signs of the zodiac in the arch above the main painting.
Underneath the sculpture in the doorway it says "May this terror terrify those whom earthly error binds for the horror of the images here in this manner truly depicts what will be"

About 600 years after this sculpture was made, some people decided they did not like it.
So they covered it up with plaster, and put another piece of artwork on top of it and everybody forgot that there was even a sculpture there.
Around 70 years later, someone had chipped the plaster and they discovered the sculpture hiding underneath, so they uncovered it and cleaned it up as best they could.

The sculptor's name "Gislebertus" is carved into the side of the sculpture, which was very different for the time it was made, because people used to just make statues for the glory of God, and didn't feel like their name was important.
Gislebertus was one of the first sculptors to leave his name on sculptures, and after him a lot of other people started doing the same thing.


(from: wikipedia - autun cathedral)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Guennol Lioness

Lewis Chessmen

We just learned about the Cloisters Cross.

Another ancient sculpture is the Lewis Chessmen.

This is a set of 78 chess pieces carved from walrus ivory tusks or whale teeth.
No one is sure exactly how old they are, but they think they were from around 900 years ago in the country of Norway.

There are some red stains on some of the pieces, so they were probably a chess set of red versus white, instead of black versus white.
All of the pieces are little people, even the knights, bishops and rooks.

The knight pieces are on little horses and are holding spears and shields.
The rooks are standing soldiers holding shields and swords.
Some of them have crazy wild eyes and are so angry they are biting their shields!




(from: wikipedia - lewis chessmen)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Swimming Reindeer

Cloisters Cross

We just learned about the Bernward Doors.

Another ancient Romanesque sculpture is the Cloisters Cross.

This cross is almost 2 feet tall, and is carved out of walrus tusks (called ivory).

Even though the cross is not very big, it has 92 carvings and 98 inscriptions.
The carvings are pictures showing stories from the Bible.


(from: wikipedia - cloisters cross)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lion Man of Hohlenstein Stadel