The Treasurists debuts a numismatic interpretation of a panel from Lorenzo Ghiberti’s almost 600 year old ‘Gates of Paradise’ in Florence

Over the last few years, we’ve seen quite a renaissance when it comes to coins from Asian producers, not just in numbers, but also in the sheer breadth of subjects. Producers from Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong, have impressed us with the quality and range of new issues, and an often very innovative approach to both high-end numismatics, and to bullion. The Treasurists are a producer based in Thailand, and their latest offering continues that tradition.

Built in the late 11th century, the Baptistery of Saint John is located in Florence, Italy, sited between the beautiful Florence Cathedral, and the Archbishop’s Palace. An important religious building to this day, it has, like most important structures of the period, evolved over the centuries, in this case garnering a reputation for artistic excellence, especially its mosaics, and three sets of bronze doors.

The first set, the south doors, were created around 1330 by Andrea Pisano, taking six years to complete. In 1401, Lorenzo Ghiberti won the competition to design the north doors, eventually taking 21 years to complete the gilded bronze work depicting the life of Christ. Shown to much acclaim, his increased celebrity led to a commission to make the east doors in 1424, and he spent the next 27 years creating them with scenes from the Old Testament. They were also hugely acclaimed, picking up the name ‘Gates of Paradise’ from none other than Michelangelo himself.

As you can see in the image below, the doors are adorned primarily with ten rectangular panels, each depicting multiple scenes from a specific story in the Old Testament. The top-left panel tells the story of Adam & Eve, and Ghiberti included the creation of Adam, the creation of Eve from Adam, the serpent in the tree, and the expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

The Treasurists have chosen to reproduce as much of the panel as possible, but putting their own twist on it to better suit the coin format. The coin is shaped, to concentrate the attention on the most detailed parts of the original, and likely to keep the weight of the coin to sensible levels. The essence of Ghiberti’s vision remains, and is better suited to the smaller canvas a coin provides.

The way the two circular panels are framed is particularly clever, and the antique finish suits the high-relief perfectly, enhancing the sense of depth that was such an important element of the original. Trying to slavishly copy an original isn’t always the best route to take, and we think the approach taken here was the correct one, packing in plenty of detail.

East doors, or Gates of Paradise, by Lorenzo Ghiberti, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (Courtesy Sailko via Wiki Commons)

By contrast, the obverse is as simple as can be, with just the Public Seal of Niue, and the issue inscriptions. The coin serial number, of which just 199 will be struck, is engraved on the edge. Packaging looks to be of a very high quality, with a stand-alone holder allowing the easy display of the coin. There’s a themed Certificate of Authenticity enclosed within.

Overall, a fine debut for The Treasurists, and a good sign of things to come. As we said at the beginning, we’re impressed with where Asian companies are going. This is a Thai producer, releasing a coin themed around 15th century Florentine bronze door art, and doing a fine job of it. It doesn’t get more eclectic than that, and the number and quality of images we received were evidence of their confidence in it. Available to order shortly,