Then he stretched out his hand and took the knife to kill his son; but the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven ‘Abraham, Abraham’
(Genesis 22:10-11)
In 1401 the Calimala Guild in Florence sat down a competition to find the best artist to make a new gilded bronze door to the Baptistery.
The competition panel had to be of “the Sacrifice of Isaac”, and the contestants were to complete their trial pieces within a year, but it was not until about two years after the competition was announced, that the committee of 34 experts were able to come to a decision.
On this tour we will see the two competition panels that reached the top, and we will see if you agree with the decision by the experts appointed by the Calimala guild.
The looser was not happy; it was a defining moment in his life, and he would end up rethinking his path… And what a path he took! Quite an example of not being defeated even if you lose!
You will hear the story behind this competition, you will see the competition panels and you will see the final door.
The name of the tour is inspired by the book “The Feud That Sparked the Renaissance” – which I highly recommend – written by Paul Robert Walker.
The tour will take 3 hours.
