- Paperback: 184 pages
- Publisher: Pimlico; New edition edition (1 Feb 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0712664807
- ISBN-13: 978-0712664806
- Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 15.4 x 1.7 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 393,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Brunelleschi's Dome
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Filippo Brunelleschi's design for the dome of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence remains one of the most towering achievements of Renaissance architecture. Completed in 1436, the dome remains a remarkable feat of design and engineering. Its span of over 140 feet exceeds St Paul's in London and St Peter's in Rome, and even outdoes the Capitol in Washington DC, making it the largest dome ever constructed using bricks and mortar. The story of its creation and its brilliant but "hot-tempered" creator is told in Ross King's delightful Brunelleschi's Dome.
King has already established himself as an accomplished novelist, author of Domino, Ex-Libris, and the story of both dome and architect offer him plenty of rich material. The story of the dome goes back to 1296 when work began on the cathedral but it was only in 1420, when Brunelleschi won a competition over his bitter rival Lorenzo Ghiberti to design the daunting cupola, that work began in earnest. King weaves an engrossing tale from the political intrigue, personal jealousies, dramatic setbacks and sheer inventive brilliance that led to the paranoid Filippo, "who was so proud of his inventions and so fearful of plagiarism" finally seeing his dome completed only months before his own death. King argues that it was Filippo's improvised brilliance in solving the problem of suspending the enormous cupola in bricks and mortar (painstakingly detailed with precise illustrations) that led him to "succeed in performing an engineering feat whose structural daring was without parallel". He tells a compelling and informed story, ranging from discussions of the construction of the bricks, mortar and marble that made up the dome, to its subsequent use as a scientific instrument by the Florentine astronomer Paolo Toscanelli. --Jerry Brotton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
The superb story of the architect Filippo Brunelleschi and the design and construction of the Great Cathedral in Florence - one of the most magnificent achievements of the Italian Renaissance.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
as a modern day consultant working on large projects, I found this book very uplifting. Things haven't changed too much! As a regular visitor to Italy it enhanced my knowledge of one of the great wonders. This is a novel, a history book, a study in human nature; it is amusing, enlightening and intellectually sound.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a really excellent read, both in its description of the construction of the dome and in the way it adds colour to both Brunelleschi and the rest of contemporary Florence. The only criticism I would have of the text is that some of the technical descriptions of how the dome was built are difficult to follow - I found myself having to read them two or three times before I understood what the author was getting at. And the book would really benefit from more, and better, illustrations - a large format version of the book with proper colour photographs and plans would be great.
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is another great read from Mr. King. A week or two ago I finished his wonderful "Michelangelo And The Pope's Ceiling" and at that point I decided I'd have to read "Brunelleschi's Dome". Over the past year or so I'd seen "Brunelleschi's Dome" in various bookstores and I'd skimmed through the pages- never buying it because I was put off by the technical illustrations. I figured this must be a book meant for architects and engineers. But I was wrong. While there is no denying that the technical aspects are a major part of the book, the illustrations are very useful in helping the lay reader to understand the ingenious solutions that Brunelleschi came up with to overcome the numerous technical difficulties involved in the construction of such a large dome. By going into the nitty-gritty of the construction process, Mr. King allows us to appreciate Filippo's accomplishment. After all, this was a man who was a goldsmith and clockmaker- not an architect! And even though the book is under 200 pages in length, Mr. King manages to include a lot of interesting peripheral information. We learn about the lives of the masons who worked on the dome- how many days they worked (only about 200 per year, actually. They had off Sundays and religious feast days, which came about once a week. They also couldn't work in bad weather); what they ate and drank (surprisingly, although they were a couple of hundred of feet above the ground they drank wine! Considering water quality at the time, wine was considered healthier. Florentines also believed that it "improved the blood, hastened digestion, calmed the intellect, enlivened the spirit, and expelled wind". Mr. King adds that wine "might also have given a fillip of courage to men clinging to an inward-curving vault..."!). Filippo was very safety-conscious. Because of his precautions, only one man died and few were injured during the 26 years Brunelleschi was in charge of the actual construction. A good thing....these were the days before workers' compensation and survivors' benefits! Another interesting theme of the book is the rivalry between Filippo and Lorenzo Ghiberti. Years earlier, Ghiberti had bested Brunelleschi in the contest to see who would be awarded the commission to cast and put up the bronze doors for the Baptistery of San Giovanni. Ghiberti won that competition. This time around Brunelleschi came up with the winning design. However, Ghiberti was still involved in "The Dome" project and there was no love lost between the two men. There was a lot of nasty backbiting behind the scenes of the "this guy doesn't know what the heck he's doing!" variety. Despite the fact that Ghiberti's baptistery doors are considered to be an artistic masterpiece (and were recognized as such by his contemporaries and by those who came shortly after- even the persnickety Michelangelo marveled at the workmanship) the following anecdote will give you some idea of the ill-will between the two men: Lorenzo, who was generally an astute businessman and was always on the lookout for good places to put his money, had bought a farm in the hills above Florence. Mr. King writes, "As the farm, called Lepriano, did not prove a successful investment, Lorenzo was forced to sell it. Years later Filippo was asked what he thought was the best piece of work Lorenzo had ever done, to which he replied- 'Selling Lepriano'". If we add "comedian" to his long list of accomplishments, we see that Filippo Brunelleschi was indeed a true "Renaissance Man"!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Super read
Loved ross kings style of delivery...it doea not feel like a hardcore history book...more like a story book with true facts.
Published 14 days ago by Ashik
excellent book
Excellent insight into the building of the Duomo in Florence and the intrigues surrounding it . A remarkable story which will make Florence your next holiday destination .
Published 5 months ago by pete1141
Good read
A good read, of interest to people who like history and engineering. Adds a bit of social history in there with the descriptions of the workers (and their boozy lunches!).
Published 8 months ago by Mr. M. J. Payne
Brunelleschi's amazing dome
There is not much to add to the previous reviews, apart from an unreserved recommendation. No-one who has seen the dome in question will doubt the architectural genius and building... Read more
Published 9 months ago by RR Waller
tells an interesting story, but with a bit too much engineering detail...
This is a good book on a fascinating subject: the construction of a church dome that surpassed in size Hadrian's Pantheon in Rome, the one that stood for about 1300 years as a... Read more
Published 12 months ago by rob crawford
Interesting subject, more diagrams needed
Brunelleschi's Dome
I had thought about buying this book for some time, and finally took the plunge. Read more
I had thought about buying this book for some time, and finally took the plunge. Read more
Published on 8 Nov 2009 by Clare Topping
A breathtaking achievement
A fascinating short account of the construction of what us still the largest brick dome in the world. Read more
Published on 2 Jan 2007 by John Hopper
A crucial absence of helpful diagrams
First of all let me say that I agree 100% with the other contributors who have praised the writer's style and his mastery and oresentation of the content. Read more
Published on 9 July 2004 by Mr. W. P. Simpson
An outstanding historical, and technological read.
I could not have imagined the technical skill and expertise and injenuity used in the construction of such a magnificent building during the middle ages. Read more
Published on 26 Sep 2001 by wilmot_john@supernet.com
Fascinating reading, but start by visiting Florence...
It is a great book to read. Buy the book, take a week off, go to Florence and read the book THERE - you will admire the book so much more if you visit the Duomo before and after... Read more
Published on 20 Aug 2001 by P. Janeiro
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