Bernward's bronze doors
Type:
Doors
Date:
ca. 1007–15
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Germany
Medium:
Bronze
Dimensions:
472 × 226 cm
Description:
According to their inscription, these bronze doors were cast in 1015 and made "for the façade of the temple of the angels." Although they are now in Hildesheim Cathedral, the Ottonian Bishop Bernward of Hildesheim (r. 993–1022) most likely donated them to the monastery of St. Michael, which he founded. The doors have two large handles in the form of lions' heads with rings as well as biblical narratives arranged in registers. The leaves for these doors were cast as single pieces. Even though the images are executed in metal, their style is reminiscent of Carolingian manuscript illumination. The left leaf has eight relief scenes from the Book of Genesis, and these are paired with eight scenes from the life of Christ on the right leaf. The arrangement of scenes is intended to inspire typological readings, with narratives in the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) interpreted as prefigurations of those in the New Testament. For example, the third panels from the top show the fall of man (left leaf) and the crucifixion (right leaf), a pairing that expresses a particular message about original sin and humanity's subsequent redemption.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
6
Repository and Online Resources:
• Watch a video on the iconography of the bronze doors posted at Smarthistory (with narration from Dr. Nancy Ross and Jennifer Freeman).
• For more views, visit the page for these doors on the Kornbluth Photography website.
Image Credits:
Genevra Kornbluth, Adam S. Cohen
