Saint+Matthew

**By Lorenzo Ghiberti**
 * __Saint Matthew__**



This sculpture was created by Ghiberti in 1419 for the Bankers' Guild (Guild of Exchange) in Florence. This statue was made to compete with the Saint John the Baptist that Ghiberti had created for the Gild of Merchants seven years earlier. It was to be the same size, or even bigger if it seemed aproprate.(West) In this sculpture, Ghiberti moves away from the International Gothic that he uses in St John and shifts his interest to the antique. The same rhythmic zigzag drapery is applied to create the same interesting Gothic patterns, but the quality of the head and the stance of John give the elegant feel of the antique style (Murry,33). The modification of the Gothic line and the interest in antique carry through his works all the way to the Gates of Paradise.

This statue is located on the West face of the Orsanmichele building in Florence, Italy. When looking at the building facing east, it is on the far left. Starting at the Ponte Vecchio, walk north up Via Por Santa Maria. It bends slightly to the left and turns into Via Calimala. Take a right on Via Di’Lamberti and go one and a half blocks. The South wall of Orsanmichele will be on your left.

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 * Work Cited ** Murray, Peter, and Linda Murray. //The Art of the Renaissance//. Second. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, Inc., 1963. 35. Print.

West, Shearer. //The Bulfinch guide to art history//. 1st ed. 1. New York: Bulfinch Pr, 1996. Print.