time; and each making a beginning with his own, with all zeal
and diligence they exerted all their strength and knowledge in order to
surpass one another in excellence, keeping their work hidden and most
secret, lest they should copy each other's ideas. Lorenzo alone, who had
Bartoluccio to guide him and to compel him to labour at many models
before they resolved to adopt any one of them--Lorenzo alone was ever
inviting the citizens, and sometimes any passing stranger who had some
knowledge of the art, to see his work, in order to hear what they
thought and these opinions enabled him to execute a model very well
wrought and without one defect. And so, when he had made the moulds and
cast the work in bronze, it came out very well; whereupon, with his
father Bartoluccio, he polished it with such love and patience that
nothing could be executed or finished better. And when the time came for
comparing the various works, his and those of the other masters were
completely finished, and were given to the Guild of Merchants for
judgment; but after all had been seen by the Consuls and by many other
citizens, diverse opinions were expressed about them. Many foreigners
had assembled in Florence, some painters, some sculptors, and others
goldsmiths; and they were invited by the Consuls to give judgment on
these works, together with the other men of that profession who lived in
Florence. They numbered thirty-four in all, each well experienced in his
own art. Now, although there were differences of opinion among them,
some liking the manner of one man and some that of another, nevertheless
they were agreed that Filippo di Ser Brunellesco and Lorenzo di
Bartoluccio had composed and completed their scenes better and with a
richer abundance of figures than Donato had done in his, although in
that one, also, there was grand design. In that of Jacopo della Quercia
the figures were good, but they had no delicacy, although they were made
with design and diligence. The work of Francesco di Valdambrina had good
heads and was well finished, but was confused in the composition. That
of Simone da Colle was a beautiful casting, because the doing of this
was his art, but it had not much design. The specimen of Niccolo
d'Arezzo, which was made with good mastery, had the figures squat and
was badly finished. Only that scene which Lorenzo made as a specimen,
which is still seen in the Audience Chamber of the Guild of Merchants,
was in every part wholly