24. An Elaborate Deceit
Filippo Brunelleschi was famous for his thorough preparation and for paying extra attention to detail in his career as an architect. He was equally thorough in his pranks, as evinced by the elaborate deception he inflicted upon the unfortunate Manetto. First, Brunelleschi assembled a wide cast of characters, and coached them on what was needed to convince the mark that he had metamorphosed into somebody else: a well-known Florentine named Matteo. Finally, one day in 1409, as Manetto closed shop, Brunelleschi went to his house, picked the lock, entered, and barred the door behind him.
The intricate deceit began when the mark got home, and discovered that his door was barred from within. As he rattled the door, Manetto was alarmed to hear his own voice – actually that of Brunelleschi in a masterful impersonation – asking who it was. When he identified himself, he was called a liar by the voice on the other side of the door, who declared that he was Manetto. Brunelleschi’s assertion that he was Manetto so confused his mark, that he retreated to a nearby piazza. There he met an acquaintance, Donatello, who addressed him not by his given name, but as Matteo.