(1377–1446). “A man of great genius,” as his tomb inscription states, Filippo Brunelleschi is known as the originator of the Renaissance architectural style. He created new forms from classical Roman, Tuscan, and Italian late Gothic models with some Byzantine influences evident. He was trained as a goldsmith, acquired great skill as a sculptor, and invented machines and mechanical devices. He studied mathematics and hydraulics as well as time and motion and is said to have built clocks.

Early Years

Brunelleschi was born in Florence, Italy, in 1377. His father was a notary. Trained as a goldsmith and sculptor, he is believed to have created in about 1399 four small silver figures that adorn an altar in the cathedral of Pistoia. Entering a competition for bronze reliefs in the baptistery of Florence, Brunelleschi created what is considered his finest work of sculpture, ‘The Sacrifice of Isaac' (1401–03). This panel displays great narrative movement and drama, but rival Lorenzo Ghiberti won the competition.

Possibly because of his disappointment at losing, Brunelleschi turned to architecture. He rediscovered the principles of linear perspective that had been known to the Greeks and Romans but that had been lost over the centuries. Brunelleschi demonstrated his findings with two painted panels (now lost) of Florentine street scenes. One of his first major architectural projects, the Ospedali degli Innocenti (Foundling Hospital) in Florence, marked the introduction of his new Renaissance architectural style. He designed the lower facade (completed 1427) and other parts of the structure, but later changes have blurred the building's architectural clarity.

Later Career

Brunelleschi did not design many buildings, and some were unfinished at his death. In the 1420s, when his art reached its full maturity, he saw his first major structure completed: the old sacristy of San Lorenzo, commissioned by Giovanni de' Medici. The building has features showing the various influences that Brunelleschi incorporated into his work, among them both classical and Tuscan. Brunelleschi also drew plans for the basilica of San Lorenzo. Work was begun in 1421, halted in 1428, and begun again in 1441, continuing into the 1460s. Other notable works include a chapel next to Santa Croce, commissioned by the Pazzi family about 1429; Santa Maria degli Angeli, begun in 1434; and Santo Spirito, designed either in 1428 or 1434. All of these have undergone alterations from Brunelleschi's plans, but each shows aspects of his genius, especially in his proportions and sculptural space-molding elements.

It was Brunelleschi's work on the cathedral of Florence that made him famous (see Florence). The dome, measuring 130 feet (40 meters) in diameter, had challenged other architects, some of whom claimed that it could not be built. In a structural engineering feat, Brunelleschi designed two shells bound together by ribs and tension chains, further reinforced by the use of herringbone brickwork. The dome was completed in 1436 and became a model for Michelangelo's later dome for St. Peter's in Rome. For the last 26 years of his life, Brunelleschi remained chief architect of the cathedral, though parts were not finished until after his death. He died in Florence on April 16, 1446, and was buried in the cathedral.