|
The Porta della Mandorla is the left side door of the north side of the Florence Cathedral. It was built from 1391 to 1423, with various sculptors, including Donatello and, above all, Nanni di Banco. It owes its name to the representation in the tympanum of the Assumption of the Virgin within an almond-shaped halo.
On the basis of their style, the six pieces that make up the jambs of the Porta della Mandorla are ascribed to each of the four sculptors recorded as having worked on them, attributing the lower and upper blocks on the left jambs to Giovanni (1391-93), an attribution supported by their dimensions, which are cited in the contract.
In 1394 Giovanni contributed a console block and other items for the doorframe. The right-hand block of the lintel can also be ascribed to Giovanni d'Ambrogio and his son Lorenzo.
It is only in the section made by Giovanni d'Ambrogio that several small depictions of Hercules and half-figures of the Muses appear, indicating the sculptor's interest in humanism; it is clear that no comprehensive iconographic programme for the decoration was prepared in advance.
| 
