194 pages Trade paperback (Historical Non-Fiction)
Last summer I took an Early Renaissance Art History class near Florence, Italy. One of the thousands of works of art there was The Opera del Duomo of Florence. The Santa Maria del Fiore as it is also known has the largest dome ever produced without modern materials. The fantastic feat of engineering would not have happened if it wasn’t for one man, Filippo Brunelleschi.I had read Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling also by King so I figured I would enjoy this book.
On August, 19th 1418 a competition was announced to make a dome in the style of the original plans for the 100 year old cathedral. Brunelleschi and his rival Lorenzo Ghiberti were given the dual role of constructing the dome. The book covers the trials that Brunelleschi went through to make the dome possible. Almost 18 years later the dome would be consecrated. Not only would Brunelleschi help create one of the greatest architectural achievements of all time, he would invent many of the tools needed to make it happen. He designed new lifts, building methods and even a failed shipping boat.
King’s writing makes this an easy read. Since I have actually been to the Duomo and climbed to the top it had personal significance to me. I found it was a bit slow at first, but I was quickly got into the story and read the whole thing in just a few days.
5 Intellectual/Emotional – It gives the reader a look into the time as well as all of the inner workings of creating a cathedral without getting boring.
3 Style/Readability – Ross does a good job of describing the troubles that went into making the dome without being so focused on the details to make it read like a textbook.
3 Long Term Impact. – Ross has established himself as a historical writer and since his subjects tend to be about some of the most famous works of art his popularity will probably stand the test of time.
11 out of 13. Anyone that has an interest in historic architecture, Renaissance history, or Florence would be rewarded by reading this book.
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