Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture

Brunelleschi’s Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture is a 2000 nonfiction book by Ross King. The book describes how Filippo Brunelleschi radically altered the course of architectural history, defying expectations by designing and building the dome for Florence’s cathedral during the early Renaissance. Receiving widespread praise from critics, King has been commended for making a complex subject accessible to lay readers. King is a bestselling nonfiction writer who lectures across Europe and North America. He has also given guided tours of architecturally significant buildings, including Rome’s Sistine Chapel and Florence’s cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. His book won the 2001 Book Sense Book of the Year Award.

This guide uses the 2008 Vintage edition of Brunelleschi’s Dome.

Summary

Brunelleschi’s Dome tells the story of how one man, Filippo Brunelleschi, completed the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Work began on the cathedral in 1296, but no one could figure out how to construct and position a dome—commonly referred to as the cupola—for the roof. Brunelleschi singlehandedly devised a solution, eventually completing the dome in 1436. By completing the dome, Brunelleschi solved a problem plaguing architects for more than a century, and in so doing, he became an acclaimed figure in the history of the Renaissance. The book explores themes including The Fine Line Between History and Legend, Professional Rivalry as a Catalyst for Innovation, and Architecture as a Political Statement. 

Brunelleschi’s Dome covers Brunelleschi’s personal life, upbringing, and architectural achievements. King touches on 15th-century Renaissance Florence and how contemporary politics, philosophy, and intrigue affected Brunelleschi’s work. As a result, the book appeals to art and history students as well as casual readers looking for more information on the period.

Brunelleschi’s Dome begins in August of 1418. Florence wants its cathedral completed, but there is a major problem with the construction. The cathedral’s design, by architect Neri di Fioravanti, includes a glorious dome, larger and grander than any other in the world, but no one knows how to actually build the dome. The city of Florence is willing to pay large sums of money to anyone capable of constructing the dome as designed. As such, a competition is announced by the authorities, inviting budding architects to submit their plans for how to complete the city’s cathedral.

Brunelleschi grew up beside the busy work site in Florence. Work on the cathedral began long before he was born, so the constant construction was familiar to him even when he was a young boy. Though his father was a notary, Brunelleschi showed a talent for mechanical engineering. Like many budding artists and engineers, he apprenticed with the Goldsmiths’ Guild. His early work has largely been lost, but many of his contemporary biographers credit him with the construction of clocks which were far more mechanically sophisticated than anything built by his contemporaries.

In 1398, a competition was announced in which artists were invited to submit proposals for the creation of bronze panels to be placed in the doors of the Florence baptistry, a building situated directly in front of the under-construction cathedral. The competition was designed to show the faith of the emergent city state at a time when the Black Death had ravaged the population. While Florence’s wool trade made it one of the most prosperous cities in Europe, the plague had killed as many as four fifths of the inhabitants and returned repeatedly throughout the 14th century. Brunelleschi’s proposal for the bronze panels was widely praised. He was awarded joint first place in the tournament but he resented being made to share his prestige with his rival, Lorenzo Ghiberti. As such, he refused the offer to work together with Ghiberti and decamped to Rome for an extended period with his friend, the sculptor Donatello. In Florence, Ghiberti worked alone on the bronze panels, which would take another 22 years to complete.

In Rome, Brunelleschi found a city that was a dim reflection of the glory of antiquity. The population had dwindled, and the ancient ruins were largely abandoned. During this time, Brunelleschi and Donatello sought inspiration in the ruins of Rome. This feeling of inspiration allows Brunelleschi to return to Florence in 1418 with his grand proposal to build a dome for the Florence cathedral which defies every expectation and assumption held about architecture.

King describes the major problems with the dome, both stemming from problems with engineering. During the early 15th century, Europeans used flying buttresses to support the weight and length of roofs and vaults, such as domes. Since Florence is intent on setting itself apart from the Gothic style popular in Northern Europe—of which the flying buttress was a defining feature—Brunelleschi seeks to build the world’s largest dome without buttresses. Any proposed design must conform to the large parts of the cathedral which have already been built. Brunelleschi’s radical design is highly secretive. He refuses to share the details of his plan, causing outrage among the judges and mockery in public. Once again, Brunelleschi finds himself up against his old rival, Ghiberti.

Brunelleschi wins the competition, but he is once again forced to work with Ghiberti, who is awarded a supervising position on the site. The men have a decades-long rivalry, with Brunelleschi eventually asserting his authority through a series of tricks and deceits. Ultimately, however, his greater knowledge of architecture and the demands of the dome wins out. According to his instructions, the dome is to be built without centering, meaning that no scaffolding will be used to prop up the dome during construction. Instead, a series of brick patterns, carefully distributed weight, hidden chains and beams, and a clever two-shell structure are used to turn the impossible into reality.

Along the way, however, Brunelleschi encounters a number of setbacks. The Opera del Duomo, the authorities overseeing construction, take years to accept his design as feasible. Brunelleschi is credited with designing many incredible machines to facilitate the construction of the dome, but his attempts to build a new type of boat and to flood the rival city of Lucca end in embarrassing failure. He is also arrested and spends two weeks in prison, ostensibly for failing to pay guild fees but likely as a consequence of the high-stakes political games which are played in the Republic of Florence during this era.

Eventually, Brunelleschi emerges triumphant. The dome is consecrated in 1436 by the Pope and finished a short time later. Brunelleschi also designs the lantern which is placed at the top of the dome, though he dies a short time after construction begins on this project. Brunelleschi dies in 1446, aged 69. He is buried in a modest tomb inside the cathedral itself, a privilege only previously extended to Saint Zenobius, the first bishop of Florence.

Brunelleschi’s dome remained the largest in the world until the 20th century, when modern building materials finally allowed humans to extend their construction beyond Brunelleschi’s vision. Nevertheless, Brunelleschi’s dome has defined the shape of the Florentine skyline ever since. It has inspired generations of artists and Brunelleschi himself is credited with turning architecture into a revered art form.