Place of birth: Florence, Italy
Lorenzo Ghiberti was one of the most important early Renaissance sculptors of Florence. his work and writings formed the basis for much of the style and aims of the later High Renaissance. Ghiberti was born in Florence and trained as a goldsmith; in his sculpture he showed lyrical grace and technical perfection as well as a concern for classical clarity of weight and volume. In 1403, competing against such formidable rivals as Filippo Brunelleschi and Jacopo della Quercia, Ghiberti won his first major commission, the making of the second pair of bronze doors for the baptistery of the cathedral of Florence. A keen collector of classical antiques, he was also a historian, his "Commentarii," uncompleted at his death, providing a valuable source of information about trecento artists, as well as containing the earliest surviving autobiography by an artist.
