Few men have left a legacy as monumental as Filippo
Brunelleschi. He was the first modern engineer and a problem-
solver with unorthodox methods. He solved one of the greatest
architectural puzzles and invented his way to success. Only now
is he receiving deserved recognition as the greatest architect
and engineer of the Renaisssance. Born in Florence in 1377,
Brunelleschi, like his peers Ghiberti and Donatello, was
apprenticed to a goldsmith, Benincasa Lotti. They worked amidst
the slums of the Santa Croce quarter. It was there that young
Brunelleschi learned the skills of mounting, engraving and
embossing. He also studied the science of motion, using wheels,
gears, cogs and weights. In 1401, the young craftsman entered a
competition to design new bronze doors for the city's baptistry.
Already paranoid, Brunelleschi hid his work away, and watched as
his rival, Ghiberti, the lesser technician, wooed the judges and
won the commission. Legend has it that Brunelleschi stormed out
of the competition when he was re