Ross King recounts the events of Brunelleschi’s great feat in his book Brunelleschi’s Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture. Florence had built the Santa Maria del Fiore over a century before, but underestimated the size of the dome. The gap that was left for the dome proved to be larger than the dome built for the Pantheon in Rome, which until that date was the largest dome constructed. Unable to figure out a safe way to go about building this structure, the church was left opened and exposed for decades.
King tells multiple stories about the construction of the dome and Brunelleschi’s personality, including how he won the contest for the commission.
“In this parable Filippo suggests to the wardens that whoever can make an egg stand on end on a flat piece of marble should win the commission. When all of the other contestants fail the test, Filippo simply cracks the egg on the bottom and then stands it upright.”
King also tells of Brunelleschi’s many new inventions that would help the building process become more efficient. He created an ox-hoist with a secondary set of gears so that the bricks could be pulled up to the workers. This way the workers didn’t have to carry the supplies up to the dome, which saved time and energy. Other inventions were made, as well as new plans for the support of the large dome that were unheard of.
King’s national bestseller not only touches on the innovative construction methods used by Brunelleschi, but also the stories and events that made this architect inspiring. Similar to Leonardo Da Vinci’s love of science and experiments, Brunelleschi takes us into a new way of looking at architecture that still inspires architects and artists around the world.
-Sarah Clinton
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