Renaissance - Birth of a Dynasty, Part 6

WARNING: THIS CLIP, AND ITS DESCRIPTION, CONTAINS CLOSE-UPS OF ART WORK WHICH MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR VIEWING BY YOUNG CHILDREN. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

Filippo Brunelleschi uses a herringbone design in his dome - something never tried before. Both patrons and workers have strong doubts whether Brunelleschi's plan will work.

How can one lay bricks on an inward-curving vault - without any scaffolding?! To rid his workers of their disbelief, the architect/builder himself ascends the heights to show everyone how to proceed.

The story of the Renaissance thus begins, in a way, with Brunelleschi's dome. "It touches the sky and casts its shadow over the whole of Tuscany," writes a friend of Cosimo.

To show the world what the Florentines have accomplished, Cosimo de Medici calls the Council of Florence. He even pays expenses for people traveling from far-distant lands.

Then ... Cosimo dies in 1464. With the "Godfather of the Renaissance" now gone from the scene, people wonder ... who will take his place?

See, also:

Birth of a Dynasty, Part 1

Birth of a Dynasty, Part 2

Birth of a Dynasty, Part 3

Birth of a Dynasty, Part 4

Birth of a Dynasty, Part 5