Michael Shamansky, Bookseller Inc.
Importer of European Publications in the Fine Arts
P.O. Box 3904, Kingston, New York 12402 Phone: 845-331-8519 Email: mshamans@artbooks.com

Item Number: 111667
Title: Il segreto della Cupola del BRUNELLESCHI a Firenze : The Secret of the Brunelleschi’s Dome in Florence
Author: Corazzi, Roberto ; Giuseppe Conti
Price: Not Available
ISBN: 9788897080107
Description: Firenze: Pontecorboli, 2011. 30cm., pbk., 319pp. illus., most in color. Italian-English text. Summary: The existence of numerous and seemingly contradictory theories about the Dome of the Cathedral of Florence, as well as about its static function and how it was constructed, has created a vast bibliography that is rich in theories but lacking in experimental data, scientific results and technical analysis. Until today, the building has undergone in-depth study and documentation that was limited to those portions of the structure and architecture that are directly available to visible inspection. Little has been done, however, to investigate the internal parts of the dome that contain, behind layers of plaster and deceptive brick facing, the true secrets of a structure that covers one of the largest spaces of antiquity and has remained by now in sound condition, undisturbed by atmospheric factors, for more than five centuries. For proof, it suffices to observe that the drawings that represent the masonry in detail are vague and very few in number, while there are many written documents, theories and geometric constructions that try to explain the Dome using cones, cylinders, varied round and pointed arches, and ‘corda blanda.’ The research found in this book thus marks a turning point, as it is fruit of a new campaign of investigation that employed the most recent technologies in the areas of survey and diagnostics. The results are of the highest interest. With a few exceptions, all the theories developed by scholars over the centuries had come up with almost the identical geometric model. This is of great importance, since it shows that all scholars, even if they employed a different vocabulary, have given, independently and unaware of each other, the same answer to the same problem. It was against this background that we began a systematic survey of the structure, with special attention to the masonry fabric of the Dome. As part of the process, we built an experimental model of a portion of a ‘vela’ with the same characteristics and materials as the real one. The comparison of the results of the investigations carried out on the model and those carried out on the real Dome have allowed us to make precise statements about the typology of the structure.

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Michael Shamansky, Bookseller Inc.
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Phone: 845-331-8519
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Email: michael@artbooks.com

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