The Renaissance began to flourish in the 15thcentury in Florence.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE [ edit ]
Explain the Florentine ideals that gave rise to the Renaissance and Brunelleschi's unique role
therein
KEY POINTS [ edit ]
The wealth of Florence's upper classes contributed profoundly to the advancement of arts
and culture in the city.
Florence viewed itself as heir to the Roman Empire, in part for the shared emphasis on freedom
and liberty.
Filippo Brunelleschi was one of the great artistic talents in Florence at this time, renowned for his
knowledge of mathematics and engineering, as well as his artistic abilities.
Completing the dome of the Florence Cathedral was Brunelleschi's major life work.
TERMS [ edit ]
exedra
A semicircular recess, with stone benches, used as a place for discussion.
city-state
An independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered
as a part of another local government.
Give us feedback on this content: FULL TEXT [edit ]
During the EarlyRenaissance, Italy was divided into many city-states(Florence,
Milan,Venice etc.), each with their own form of government. There are several reasons for the
extraordinary rebirth of the Renaissance at this time. Tremendous wealth accumulated in
Florence during this period among a growing middle and upper class of merchants and
bankers. With the accumulation of wealth
came the desire to enjoy the pleasures of
life on Earth -- not just an
exclusivefocus on the hereafter.
Florence saw itself as the ideal city-state, a
place where the freedom of the individual
was guaranteed, and where many citizens
had the right to participate in the
government. Successfully defeating several
would-be conquerors in the early
Register for FREE to stop seeing ads
th
15 century, Florentines imagined
themselves as the "New Rome" -- in other words, as the heirs to the Ancient Roman Republic,
prepared to sacrifice for the cause of freedom and liberty. This emphasis on freedom and
individuality was key to the cultural and intellectual growth that defined the Renaissance.
Filippo Brunelleschi (1377 – April 15, 1446) was one of the foremost architects and engineers
of the Italian Renaissance. He is perhaps most famous for his discovery of perspective and for
engineering the dome of the Florence Cathedral, but his accomplishments also include other
architectural works,sculpture, mathematics, engineering, and even ship design. His principal
surviving works are to be found in Florence, Italy .
The Dome of the Florence Cathedral
Brunelleschi dedicated much of his life to the completion of the Florence Cathedral's dome.
The dome, the lantern (built 1446–ca.1461), and the exedra(built 1439-1445) occupied most
of Brunelleschi's life. Brunelleschi's success can be attributed to no small degree to his
technical and mathematical genius. Brunelleschi used more than 4 million bricks in the
construction of the dome of the Florence Cathedral.