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Brunelleschi's Dome
- How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
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Brunelleschi's Dome
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Summary
On August 19, 1418, a competition concerning Florence's magnificent new cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore was announced: "Whoever desires to make any model or design for the vaulting of the main Dome...shall do so before the end of the month of September." The proposed dome was regarded far and wide as all but impossible to build. The dome would literally need to be erected over thin air.
Of the many plans submitted, one stood out. It was offered not by a master mason or carpenter, but by a goldsmith and clockmaker named Filippo Brunelleschi, who would dedicate the next 28 years to solving the puzzles of the dome's construction. In the process, he did nothing less than reinvent the field of architecture.
Brunelleschi's Dome is the story of how a Renaissance genius bent men, materials, and the very forces of nature to build an architectural wonder we continue to marvel at today. Denounced at first as a madman, Brunelleschi was celebrated at the end as a genius. He engineered the perfect placement of brick and stone, built ingenious hoists and cranes to carry an estimated 70 million pounds hundreds of feet into the air, and designed the workers' platforms and routines so carefully that only one man died during the decades of construction.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 16-01-23
A must to visit if you are in that part of Italy.
I liked Brunelleschi‘s well depicted journey. Some of the construction methods described were very clearly written but difficult to visualise. I resorted to consulting YouTube in order to fill in the gaps. Regards Neil.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- J. Cheale
- 17-01-23
Fascinating insight
One for engineers. Fascinating insight into creativity . The performance is unusual for sure, but grew on me.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- CCE
- 01-05-21
Brilliant book, shocking performance.
I know this book well. Studied it, studied the subject matter, read the book several times. Thought I'd use a credit in buying the audible version so I could enjoy the book whilst driving. Truly wish I hadn't bothered. Whilst I don't doubt Ross King's work - I've seen him lecture, have read his other books about Leonardo, The Last Supper; all of his work in this particular book was completely spoiled by the narrator. It was like listening to a computerised version of someone reading out the words. Disjointed, badly emphasised in the wrong places, dull, uninteresting. I mean like SERIOUSLY. This is a lesson in how to read a book badly. I'm sorry for Ross King that his brilliant work has been butchered.
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2 people found this helpful