Page "Leon Battista Alberti" Paragraph 39

* According to Alberti himself, in a short autobiography written c. 1438 in Latin and in the third person, ( many but not all scholars consider this work to be an autobiography ) he was capable of " standing with his feet together, and springing over a man's head.

" The autobiography survives thanks to an 18th century transcription by Antonio Muratori.

Alberti also claimed that he " excelled in all bodily exercises ; could, with feet tied, leap over a standing man ; could in the great cathedral, throw a coin far up to ring against the vault ; amused himself by taming wild horses and climbing mountains.

" Needless to say, many in the Renaissance promoted themselves in various ways and Alberti's eagerness to promote his skills should be understood, to some extent, within that framework.

( This advice should be followed in reading the above information, some of which originates in this so-called autobiography.