Gates to Paradise: Creating metal doors for 11th-12th century churches

End of February, we documented the doors from San Zeno (Verona) and the Cathedral of Pisa. The doors are dated to 1100-38/late 12th cent. (Verona) and 1180 (Pisa). While none of the artists involved at Verona is known, we know that Bonanno is responsible for the doors of Pisa – as for the main door at the Cathedral of Monreale. Both doors (Verona and Pisa) exhibited different ways of production and alloys used. Chemically, we can also confirm widely the art historical association of different workshops for the San Zeno doors. Non-invasive evaluations of the wooden support of Verona also gave astonishing insights into different types of wood used; for Pisa, unfortunately, the original wooden support was substituted during the 16th century but permitted a direct view to the as-cast backside of each panel. More to follow!