Filippo Brunelleschi, both excellent craftsmen, since they recognized,
in truth, although instinct perchance constrained them to do the
contrary, that Lorenzo was a better master of casting than they were.
This truly brought glory to them, and confusion to many who, presuming
on their worth, set themselves to work and occupy the place due to the
talents of others, and, without producing any fruits themselves, but
labouring a thousand years at the making of one work, impede and oppress
the knowledge of others with malignity and with envy.

Lorenzo, then, was the son of Bartoluccio Ghiberti, and from his
earliest years learnt the art of the goldsmith from his father, who was
an excellent master and taught him that business, which Lorenzo grasped
so well that he became much better therein than his father. But
delighting much more in the arts of sculpture and design, he would
sometimes handle colours, and at other times would cast little figures
in bronze and finish them with much grace. He also delighted in
counterfeiting the dies of ancient medals, and he portrayed many of his
friends from the life in his time.

Now, while he was working with Bartoluccio and seeking to make progress
in his profession, the plague came to Florence in the year 1400, as he
himself relates in a book by his own hand wherein he discourses on the
subject of art, which is now in the possession of the Reverend Maestro
Cosimo Bartoli, a gentleman of Florence. To this plague were added civil
discords and other troubles in the city, and he was forced to depart and
to go in company with another painter to Romagna, where they painted for
Signor Pandolfo Malatesti, in Rimini, an apartment and many other works,
which were finished by them with diligence and to the satisfaction of
that Lord, who, although still young, took great delight in matters of
design. Meanwhile Lorenzo did not cease to study the arts of design, and
to work in relief with wax, stucco, and other similar materials, knowing
very well that these small reliefs are the drawing-exercises of
sculptors, and that without such practice nothing can be brought by them
to perfection. Now, when he had been no long time out of his own
country, the pestilence ceased; wherefore the Signoria of Florence and
the Guild of Merchants--since at that time sculpture had many excellent
craftsmen, both foreign and Florentine--determined that there should be
made, as it had been already discussed many times, the