To convince his clients of his ability to build a self-supporting dome for Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Filippo Brunelleschi smashed a raw egg in half on the table, leaving only the dome standing. When Cosimo and Lorenzo de' Medici tried to imitate him but failed, they were finally convinced of Brunelleschi's special abilities and commissioned him to build the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence.

Action and photography: Benjamin Rieß