Filippo Brunelleschi
Italian architect, sculptor and engineer

Filippo di ser Brunellesco di Lippo Lapi (1377 – 15 April 1446), commonly known as Filippo Brunelleschi ( BROO-nə-LESK-ee, Italian: [fiˈlippo brunelˈleski]) and also nicknamed Pippo by Leon Battista Alberti, was an Italian architect, designer, goldsmith, and sculptor. He is considered to be a founding father of Renaissance architecture. He is recognized as the first modern engineer, planner, and sole construction supervisor. In 1421, Brunelleschi became the first person to receive a patent in the Western world. He is most famous for designing the dome of the Florence Cathedral, and for the mathematical technique of linear perspective in art which governed pictorial depictions of space until the late 19th century and influenced the rise of modern science. His accomplishments also include other architectural works, sculpture, mathematics, engineering, and ship design. Most surviving works can be found in Florence.
Biography
Early life
Brunelleschi was born in Florence, Italy, in 1377. His father was Brunellesco di Lippo Lapi (born c. 1331), a notary and civil servant. His mother was Giuliana Spini; he had two brothers.
“Filippo Brunelleschi” enters the record as italian architect, sculptor and engineer. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Filippo, Brunelleschi and Italian can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q174330. VIAF identifies the subject as 39650057. The Library of Congress control number is n79029808. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1377, 1446, 1421 and 1331.
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This entry incorporates text from “Filippo Brunelleschi” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.