Brunelleschi was particularly adept in solving engineering problems, as the construction of the Cathedral dome reveals. His architectural style is of a very refined classicism and was inspired as much by the Tuscan Romanesque or proto-Renaissance style of the 12th century as by ancient Roman architecture.

Brunelleschi and his rival Ghiberti both competed, and Brunelleschi won by breaking one end of the egg, making it rest upon the marble with stability. Although the fathers were skeptical, making light of his tactics, Brunelleschi received the commission to build the dome for the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral.

He was a pioneer in the study of the works of ancient Rome, which inspired much of his work. Brunelleschi is considered to have been crucial in the establishment of a linear perspective, which helped to transform painting in the period. Brunelleschi is not as famous as other Renaissance figures, such as Michelangelo.

Brunelleschi was so influenced by ancient Roman ruins that he and his friend, Donatello, travelled to Rome to study them completing many measurements and drawings on their journey. The young artists drew inspiration from these classical Roman buildings without being slavishly bound by them.

Donatello

Filippo Brunelleschi

25 March 1436

It dominates the Flore nce skyline. Two geniuses, Filippo Brunelleschi, a founding father of Renaissance architecture, and Cosimo Medici the Elder, a Florence banker’s generosity, created a one of kind dome for the Florence Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

The dome that covers the Florence cathedral (the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral) is known as Filippo Brunelleschi’s dome. When it was designed, it was the largest dome in the world. This immediately created problems as its size prevented the traditional method of construction.

He told the commission that he would reveal his plans if any of them could make the egg stand on the table. After none of them could do it, he smashed the egg in two parts and put one half-shell on the top of the other, causing the egg to stand upright.

The plans for the building called for a huge cupola, or dome— bigger than anything built up to that point. No one knew how to build such a dome. Church officials were worried that the task of constructing a huge dome might be impossible.

The name “Van Gogh” has three proper pronunciations in American English, according to most standard dictionaries: van-GOH (the most common), van-GOKH, and van-KHOKH (which comes closest to the Dutch).

The nickname Botticelli, meaning “little barrel”, derives from the nickname of Sandro’s brother, Giovanni, who was called Botticello apparently because of his round stature. A document of 1470 refers to Sandro as “Sandro Mariano Botticelli”, meaning that he had fully adopted the name.

The Italian pronunciation is MED-itch-i, with stress on the first syllable.

1. Medici – aristocratic Italian family of powerful merchants and bankers who ruled Florence in the 15th century. house – aristocratic family line; “the House of York”

The Waldorf Astoria – Beverly Hills is a “Palace of Medici.” It is today what would have been in Florence in the past, the equivalent of the “Palace Pitti”. It is the most beautiful and elegant hotel in Southern California. It has an energy that is modern, yet also expresses classic European luxury.