Looking at the
Renaissance
Artistic
identities
Brunelleschi
Brunelleschi's identity was deliberately celebrated as an aspect of civic pride
because of his feat in designing the dome of Florence cathedral. The earliest
biography of Brunelleschi was probably written by the silk merchant, Antonio di
Tuccio Manetti, in the 1480s. Brunelleschi's fame was also promoted through his
grave in Florence cathedral. Unlike many of his humbly-born artistic
contemporaries, Brunelleschi's social connections counted in his favour, for he
was the son of a notary, well-educated and according to Manetti knew some
Latin. He held office in the city council over a number of years. Certainly he
was no insignificant artisan whose identity could be forgotten once his
usefulness was over. The biography of Brunelleschi included in the Florentine
artist Vasari's series of Lives of the Artists, published in two
versions in 1550 and 1568, served to reinforce but not establish the fame of
this architect.
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