Editing Lorenzo Ghiberti (section)

==== After the competition ====
After the competition, Ghiberti's father Bartolo assisted him greatly in perfecting the design of his door before it was cast.<ref name=":0" /> This commission brought immediate and lasting recognition to the young artist. In 1403 the formal contract was signed with Bartolo di Michele's workshop, the same workshop he had previously been trained in, and overnight it became the most prestigious in Florence.<ref name=":0" /> Four years later in 1407, Lorenzo legally took over the commission and was prohibited from accepting additional commissions. He devoted much of his time to creating the gates, and was paid two-hundred florins a year for his work.<ref name=":0" /> To cast the doors, Lorenzo worked in a studio named the Aja or Threshing floor. The studio was located near the [[Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova|Hospital of Saint Maria Nuova]], the oldest hospital that is still active in Florence today.<ref name=":0" /> At the Aja, Ghiberti built a large furnace to melt his metal in an attempt to cast the doors, however his first model was a failure. After this trial, he attempted once more to make a mold. On his second try he was successful and ended up using 34,000 pounds of bronze, costing a total of 22,000 ducats.<ref name=":0" /> This was a large sum in this time period.

It took Ghiberti 21 years to complete the doors. These gilded bronze doors consist of twenty-eight panels, with twenty panels depicting the life of Christ from the [[New Testament]], and on April 19, 1424 they were placed on the side of the Baptistery.<ref name=":0" /> Twenty panels showing the life of Christ from the New Testament are depicted: the ''Annunciation, Nativity, Adoration of the Magi, Dispute with the Doctors, Baptism of Christ, Temptation of Christ, Chasing the Merchants Away, Christ Walking on Water, Transfiguration, Resurrection of Lazarus,'' ''Christ’s Arrival in Jerusalem, Last Supper, Agony in the Garden, Christ Being Captured, Flagellation, Christ on Trial with Pilate, Trip to Calvary, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Pentecost.''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.guildofthedome.com/projects/baptistery-doors/north-door/the-panels.php|title=Florence Baptistery - North Door - The Panels|website=www.guildofthedome.com|access-date=2018-04-24}}</ref> The eight lower panels show the four evangelists and the Church Fathers: Saint Ambrose, Saint Jerome, Saint Gregory and Saint Augustine. The panels are surrounded by a framework of foliage in the door case and gilded busts of [[prophet]]s and [[sibyl]]s at the intersections of the panels. Originally installed on the east side in place of Pisano's doors, they were later moved to the north side. They are described by the art historian [[Antonio Paolucci]] as "the most important event in the history of Florentine art in the first quarter of the fifteenth century".<ref>Antonio Paolucci (1996), "The Origins of Renaissance Art: The Baptistery Doors, Florence" 176 pages; Publisher: George Braziller; {{ISBN|0-8076-1413-0}}</ref>

The bronze statues over the northern gate depict ''John the Baptist preaching to a Pharisee and Sadducee'' and were sculpted by [[Francesco Rustici]]. Rustici may have been aided in his design by [[Leonardo da Vinci]], who assisted him in the choice of his tools.