An experiment in human perspective
In 1409, during one of his frequent return visits to Florence, Filippo Brunelleschi organized a prank on a witless woodworker named Manetto that illustrated his understanding and fascination of human perspective.
It was the custom in Florence for artists, artisans, master craftsmen and guild members to meet regularly for dinner parties to share in conversation, news, gossip and entertainments. At one such gathering that included Brunelleschi and Donatello, the woodworker Manetto - who was supposed to join them - failed to show up. As those gathered spoke of the "Fat One's" social insult, a suggestion was made to play a prank on Manetto. Brunelleschi offered a plan to challenge Manetto's perspective on his own life; "We can make him believe that he is no longer Manetto the Fat." Brunelleschi enlisted the help of a man named Matteo and his family, plus others who were present at the dinner party.
The following evening with all players in the prank ready, Brunelleschi visited Manetto at his shop on the Piazza di San Giovanni. While he visited with Manetto, a small boy [in on the prank] arrived to tell Brunelleschi that his mother was very ill. Manetto offered to accompany Brunelleschi to help him, but Brunelleschi declined the offer, but asked that Manetto remain at his shop in case he needed him later. Leaving Manetto at his shop, Brunelleschi made his way to the woodworker's home and opened the door with a knife. Once inside, Brunelleschi barred the door and awaited Manetto's arrival.
Back at his shop, Manetto concluded that Brunelleschi's mother was all right and closed up to return home. But on his arrival, Manetto found his door barred from the inside. Pounding on the door, Manetto yelled; "Who is in there? Open up!" Manetto was shocked when he heard his own voice from within call out; "Who's out there?" It was - of course - Brunelleschi imitating Manetto's voice. Unnerved, Manetto identified himself and in response Brunelleschi complained of the trouble he'd had at his shop that day - that Filippo Brunelleschi had visited him and left him sitting for hours without sending him word about his ill mother.
"What can I say to this?" Manetto asked, "It seems to me that whoever is in there is me ... Could I be so absent minded?"
As Manetto walked out into the street, he met Donatello who greeted him with; "Good evening, Matteo. Are you looking for Manetto the Fat" He has only been home for a little while. He didn't stop to greet anyone but just dragged himself home."
Manetto at this point was very confused. With the hope of finding someone who knew him, he made his way back toward his workshop. But as he entered the Piazza di San Giovanni, he was promptly arrested by agents of the Mercatánzia - the Merchant's court - and thrown into a debtor's prison for a debt owed by Matteo. The Mercatánzia agents were also in on the prank.
After a sleepless night in the cell, Manetto saw a friend walking past in the early morning light. The man - who was also at the dinner party - pretended not to know Manetto, and instead mentioned that he was on his way to visit Manetto the Fat at his woodworking shop. Manetto asked the man to please send a message to himself to come and visit him. The man asked; "Who are you that I should say sent for him?" But Manetto, still confused, was not quite ready to admit he was Matteo and let the matter drop.
Later in the day, a famous Judge was placed in the same cell as Manetto for his own unpaid debts. Manetto told the Judge his tale of woe. Amazingly enough, the Judge - who is not in on the joke - fed Manetto's confusion by relating the classic stories of Apuleius who became an ass, and Actaeon who became a stag. Believing now that such things could happen, Manetto asked; "Now tell me. If I who was the Fat One have changed into Matteo, what has become of him?"
"He has changed into the Fat One." the Judge answered, "This is a reciprocal case. It is like a pair of shoes."
Manetto's ordeal was not over yet. That evening, two brothers of the real Matteo arrived at the prison and "paid" their "brother's" debt. They acted their parts so convincingly, that when Manetto appeared before the notary to receive a release of debt, and the notary asked; "Who is Matteo?" Manetto stepped forward and replied; "Here I am, sir."
Manetto then accompanied the brothers across the Arno to Matteo's family home, all the while being addressed as Matteo and being scolded for running up debts. But Manetto was still confused about his identity, so the brothers called upon their parish Priest who advised him; "Come on, Matteo prepare to be a man, not a beast. Let go of this fantasy. "Am I the Fat One, or am I not the Fat One?" Do as I say, because I counsel you for the good."
Having heard this from a caring Priest, Manetto surrendered his identity and accepted that he was indeed Matteo. After having heard the news, Brunelleschi arrived at Matteo's house, pleased that his plan had been successful and set up the final play. Brunelleschi gave the brothers an ampule of liquid opiate with the instructions to slip it into Manetto's wine as they ate dinner.
After he ingested the opiate-laced wine, Manetto fell into a deep sleep in Matteo's bed. Brunelleschi returned with six companions and together they carried the sleeping woodworker back across the Arno to his own home and into his own bed. But to continue his confusion they laid him backward on his bed with his feet on his pillow. That night, Brunelleschi let himself into Manetto's workshop and placed all of his tools in the wrong places.
When Matteo awoke in his own bed the next morning, he was puzzled; Had he dreamt he was Matteo, or was he dreaming now? He rushed to his shop only to be further unnerved to find his tools in disarray. At this point the two brothers arrived on the pretext of inquiring about prices of furniture and pretended not to know Manetto. Instead they told him the tale of their brother - Matteo - having been arrested for bad debts. After the brothers departed, Matteo saw Brunelleschi and Donatello across the Piazza, and rushed to tell him what had transpired with him. But before he could speak a word, Brunelleschi told him of all the details of what had happened to Manetto as though it had actually happened to Matteo himself.
At that point - prearranged - the real Matteo arrived on the scene. In on the prank, Matteo told a tale of how he had been away at his country villa where he had slept mysteriously for two nights and a day. Not only that, but he had dreamt that he had become the Fat Woodworker and worked in his shop.
Manetto's head was spinning at that point and he silently withdrew to his shop.
Manetto soon after learned of the prank, and though he did not fully understand it, learned that Brunelleschi was behind it all. Embarrassed to the point of shame, Manetto left Florence and opened his woodworking shop in Hungary where he became a rich man.
When Manetto returned to Florence years later, he made peace with Brunelleschi and the two shared a good laugh at how fortune had turned to his favour because of the elaborate prank.
But the nature of the tale of the Fat Woodworker must be viewed as more than a cruel prank. In 1409, Brunelleschi was in the midst of his studies of perspective. He used cutouts of buildings and mirrors to demonstrate how the eye could be tricked into believing a false perspective, and with the Fat Woodworker he proved that the mind could be tricked into believing a false reality.
Sevrin de Savage
April 27, Anno Societatis XXXIX