A grass hopper cage.
A grass hopper cage
At Filippo Brunelleschi's death in 1446, the drum of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore wasn't completed. Inside the Opera del Duomo museum there are some models that correspond to the project Andrea del Sansovino, Antonio da Sangallo, Simone Pollaiolo made to finish the lower part of the dome Filippo Brunelleschi erected from 1420 to 1436. Works were commissioned to Baccio d'Agnolo in 1515 but he wasn't able to finish the marble decoration because Michelangelo, who had planned his project too, criticized Baccio so much he gave up. Michelangelo compared Baccio's architecture to a grass hopper cage: the structure was too slender to be situated at the base of the majestic work Brunelleschi built. According to Baccio's project, marble heads of lions, still visible inside the museum, reminded people the Florentine republic they belonged to and they even refered to a member of the Medici family Giovanni, Lorenzo il Magnifico' s son, who was elected Pope in 1513 with the name of Leo X. Two years later in 1515 he triumphally entered in Florence to celebrate its origins.
Michelangelo wanted a prominent frame without a gallery: an essemptial, simple architecture to accentuate the size of the dome!
Michelangelo wanted a prominent frame without a gallery: an essemptial, simple architecture to accentuate the size of the dome!
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore with the uncompleted marble decoration for the drum
Painting by Domenico Michelino of 1464 preserved inside the Cathedral. Have a look at the drum!
Altri articoli
Clarice Orsini
Chosen as Lorenzo de' Medici's bride in 1467, the marriage solidified the Medici family's political influence and resulted in nine children.
Florence Feasts S. John Baptist
The last match of the traditional football game will be held In the afternoon at 5.00 p.m. in Piazza Santa Croce
Michelangelo and the secret room.
The artist drew even his self-portrait depicting the attitude of an imprisoned man.
A XVII century giant in a secret garden
The monster imprisoned Ulysses and his friends in a grotto to eat them.