LIBRO DELLA SECONDA, E TERZA PORTA ...
Libro della seconda, e terza porta di bronzo della Chiesa di S. Giovanni Batista di Firenze ...
In Firenze (Place), [per Ferdinando Gregorj e Tommaso Patch con privilegio di S.A.R.],, [1772--1774].
[2] p., engr. dedic. port., [33] engr. pl (some fold.) : [2] engr. illus. ; 46.5 cm. x 65.5 cm. (obl. 1º)

The present work, consisting of 34 engravings depicting Lorenzo Ghiberti's famous doors of the Baptistery in Florence usually known as 'Gates of Paradise', has no formal title. The title given above is taken on the grounds of typographical prominence from the recto of the letterpress leaf preceding the plates, where it appears as the caption title of the text of a manuscript at the 'arte de' Fabbricanti' regarding the two sets of doors made for the Baptistery by Ghiberti between 1400 and 1452, appended to the address to the reader in Italian and English by Thomas Patch and Ferdinando Gregori. The imprint place and name are taken from the publication line of the unnumbered plate depicting an overview of the doors and ornamental surrounds, captioned 'Elevation And Plan Of The Gate' and dated 1774. The dedication plate to Peter Leopold, Grand Duke of Tuscany with a portrait bust after Innocenzio Spinazzi is dated 1773. The remaining plates fall into four divisions: 10 plates (the first unnumbered) depicting the ten panels of bas-reliefs of Old Testament Scenes, the first three dated 1772, the fourth and fifth 1773, and the last 1774; 10 plates (the first unnumbered) showing the borders on the doors; 10 plates (the first and third unnumbered) showing the border of the door-surround; and two plates, one numbered '8' and one unnumbered, showing details of the cornice and architrave. These dates suggest that the work was published serially. The plates of the door panels and ornaments are designed so as to be joined together according to cyphers on the plates to form a single image, as depicted in the overview plate. Thomas Patch was an artist and physionomist who resided in Rome from 1747 to 1755 and Florence from 1755 to 1782, publishing caricatures as well as etchings on a number of Renaissance artists. See E.A. Maser, 'Giotto, Masaccio, Ghiberti and Thomas Patch', in W. Hartmann (wed.), Festschrift Klaus Lankheit zum 20. Mai 1973 (Köln 1973), pp. 192–9; J. Ingamells, A dictionary of British and Irish travellers in Italy, 1701--1800 (New Haven and London, 1997), pp. 745-6.

Copy Notes Imperfect; wanting the unnumbered plate showing details of the bronze cornice and architrave. Bound with two extraneous plates. Preceding the work is a plate depicting a catafalque, signed 'Antonio Ferri inuentor delineauit' and 'P.S.B.', i.e. Pietro Santi Bartoli. This is tentatively identified with one of a suite of four plates depicting the funeral decoration and the catafalque designed by Antonio Ferri for the obsequies of Vittoria, widow of Ferdinando II, celebrated in San Lorenzo, Florence on June 7, 1694, a set of which is at the Getty Institute. See B. Riederer-Grohs, Florentinische Feste des Spätbarock (Frankfurt/Main 1978), pp. 189-192, no. 37; L. Zangheri, 'Antonio Ferri architetto granducale', Antichità Viva, vol. XI:6 (1972), pp. 50-52, no. 15-16. Bound in at the end is a second, unidentified extraneous plate with a page reference 'Pag. 148' and a caption in Greek; watermark of a horse.

Binding C18th half calf, marbled-paper boards, blind-ruled spine, without spine-label.

Reference Number 5594

Additional Names BARTOLI, Pietro Santi (1635--1700); Patch, Thomas (1720--1782); Gregori, Ferdinando (1743--c.$1804); Battistero di San Giovanni (Florence, Italy) - Designs; Ferri, Antonio (d.$1716); Ghiberti, Lorenzo (1378--1455)