How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture
by Ross King
Walker Publishing, 2000
Comments: The cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy, best known as Il Duomo, is surely one of the most beautiful works of Renaissance architecture. Each time I've been there I've come away with a powerful sense of wonder at how something so magnificent could have been built in an age with such primitive tools. Even today the dome itself is still surrounded in mystery regarding the precise method of its construction. The entirety of the church took decades to complete and multiple builders were involved, but the architect responsible for the crowning achievement of the dome was Renaissance master Filippo Brunelleschi. Much is known about his life and work from the historical record and this book tells of his 25 year involvement as the designer of the dome and the master of its remarkable construction.
This author, Ross King, is brilliant with these kinds of accounts, taking what is largely a collection of historical facts, infusing them with descriptive imagination, and bringing to life an engaging story with richly developed characters. As with most complex works of humanity, the actual events involve numerous twists and turns that lend the story a great deal of dramatic interest. King weaves this all together into a highly entertaining historical tale. Although this was the first of his books that I read, its enjoyment has since led me to other of his books.
Copy Notes: Hardback, fifth printing, illustrations and photographs
