Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture

After rejecting the chance to work with Lorenzo Ghiberti, Brunelleschi went to Rome. How might this experience have influenced his architectural ideas? What do contemporary speculations about his time in Rome suggest about The Fine Line Between History and Legend?

In what ways did the repeated instances of the plague set the stage for the construction of Brunelleschi’s dome?

Throughout the book, King describes Brunelleschi’s various personal and professional rivalries. How do these rivalries reflect Brunelleschi’s individual personality, and how do they reflect the culture and political structure of 15th-century Florence?

How does Brunelleschi’s relationship with his workers change over the course of the project? What do these changes reveal about Brunelleschi’s understanding of himself as a leader and about the evolution of labor relations in his era?

Construction begins on the Florence cathedral in the Middle Ages. To what extent does Brunelleschi’s involvement herald the arrival of the Renaissance era?

How does Brunelleschi’s Dome explore the idea of genius? To what extent is genius a naturally occurring, individual phenomenon, and to what extent is it a socially constructed myth?

Filippo Brunelleschi never married, but he did adopt a son. What does his turbulent relationship with his adopted son say about his professional life? In what ways does Brunelleschi’s relationship with his son embody the theme of Professional Rivalry as a Catalyst for Innovation?

The Florence cathedral and its dome are still visited by tourists from around the world to this day. How has its public meaning changed between the 15th century and the 21st? What ideas does it represent or embody today?