The 1401 competition for the commission to create a set of bronze doors for the Florence Baptistry is generally considered the event that fueled the Renaissance. The artists involved—Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi—were two masters in Renaissance Florence who changed the art world forever.

It was very close, but Ghiberti won the commission and spent decades completing the doors. Brunelleschi, on the other hand, found other outlets for his creative genius, including inventing a system for perspective and designing the enormous dome on top of the Florence Cathedral.

Rocky Ruggiero, a specialist in the Italian Renaissance, explores the competition of 1401—and the artists who became engines of the Renaissance in Florence. Their creative duel also led to competitions among great artists becoming one of the central leitmotifs of the Italian Renaissance.

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1/2 credit*

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*Enrolled participants in the World Art History Certificate Program receive 1/2 elective credit. Not yet enrolled? Learn about the program, its benefits, and how to register here.