Filippo Brunelleschi and the Pazzi Chapel Flashcards
Q: What education and early training did Filippo Brunelleschi receive?
A: He was given a literary and mathematical education to follow his father’s civil service career but instead trained as a goldsmith, becoming a master in 1398.
Q: What did Brunelleschi study in Rome, and with whom did he travel?
A: He traveled to Rome with Donatello, studying ancient architectural forms and principles, which later influenced his work in Florence.
Q: What Renaissance ideals are encapsulated in Brunelleschi’s work?
A: His work reflects “man as the measure of all things,” reason, intellect, and the search for truth—all seen as God-given and Christian.
Q: What was the primary function of the Pazzi Chapel?
A: It served as the Chapter House for the Franciscan friars of Santa Croce, where they conducted daily meetings and administrative tasks.
Q: Who were the patrons of the Pazzi Chapel?
A: Andrea de’ Pazzi and his sons, who funded the chapel in return for burial rights. However, no more Pazzis were buried there after the family’s exile following the 1478 conspiracy against the Medici.
Q: How does the portico differ from the chapel’s interior, and who likely designed it?
A: The portico, reminiscent of a triumphal arch, is grand and contrasts with the simple interior. It was likely designed by Giuliano da Maiano, not Brunelleschi.
Q: What feature crowns the roof, and what effect does it have?
A: A low conical dome with a columned lantern fills the interior with light, symbolizing divine illumination.
Q: How is mathematical logic showcased in the Pazzi Chapel’s design?
A: Brunelleschi’s use of geometric precision—such as modular proportions and the relationship between circles and squares—creates a harmonious and rational space.
Q: What elements emphasize the chapel’s dual symbolism of heaven and earth?
A: Circular and hemispherical forms above the entablature symbolize heaven, while square forms below represent earth.
Q: How does Brunelleschi reference classical architecture in the interior?
A: Features like Corinthian pilasters, entablature, and triumphal arch motifs echo Roman architectural principles.
Q: What traditional Florentine materials did Brunelleschi use innovatively?
A: Pietra serena (grey sandstone) was used for pilasters, arches, and dome ribs, contrasting with white stucco to create a rhythmic visual effect.
Q: What restrained decorative elements are present in the chapel?
A: Glazed terra-cotta reliefs by Luca della Robbia, depicting the Apostles and the Four Evangelists, and Pazzi coats of arms in the pendentives.
Q: How did Vitruvian principles influence Brunelleschi’s designs?
A: He used the body’s proportions as a model for natural perfection, reflecting universal laws of symmetry and divine harmony.
Q: How does the Pazzi Chapel embody humanist beliefs?
A: By using mathematical harmonies to represent the divine universe, creating a microcosm of God’s perfection on earth.
-references the patron in the terracotta carving on door of st andrew and the incription dedicated to st andrew on the altar.
Q: What structural elements define the chapel’s geometry?
Central square topped with a 12-ribbed dome.
Wings with barrel vaults.
Rectangular plan (double the width of its length)
scarcella surmounted by a circular dome
how does the plan and composition relate in form to another architectural work done by brunelleshci
- The plan and construction relates in form and principles to Brunelleschi’s Old Sacristy for San Lorenzo (1421-8). It is ‘consolidation and amplification’ of this earlier work. (Hartt)
what are the three storeys
- The chapel is a rectangular structure comprised of three storeys: the second storey contains arches and pendentives which support the third storey: a star vaulted dome topped with a temple lantern.
how can we see its function
*A bench runs around the main rectangle of the chapel. This is where monks would sit at their daily meetings
references to patron
*Brunelleschi extends the central square with rectangles, probably to accommodate the Franciscans using the room for their meetings. This means that the ground plan of the chapel is a rectangle, twice as wide as it is long. The central square is topped with a 12-ribbed dome and the wings are topped with barrel vaults.
whats the scarscella
*One side of the square opens to form a smaller square chapel, the scarsella, where members of the Pazzi family are buried. This is, again, surmounted by a circular dome.
what does the painting in the dome depict
the painting in the dome depicts a star constellation which scholars believe record the exact position of the stars as they appeared in the sky above Florence on either July 9, 1442 (perhaps related to the consecration date of the chapel), or July 6, 1439 (date of the closing session of the Council of Florence). It is identical to the painting in the scarsella dome of Brunelleschi’s Old Sacristy at San Lorenzo).
classical triumphal arch over scarcella
a classical triumphal arch on the wall framing the scarsella where the Pazzi are buried, to imply victorious resurrection.
where are the apostles depicted
- The dome rises from a ring of twelve tondi with terracotta reliefs of the Apostles, attributed to Luca della Robbia’s workshop.
the pendentives
*The roundels in the pendentives illustrate the Four Evangelists, and are sometimes attributed to Brunelleschi himself.
classical influence
*The interior seems very simple with an order of Corinthian pilasters supporting an entablature running right round the walls
*The frieze is decorated with cherubim heads and lambs.
scale
- It is an intimate chapel and it was intended to make each individual more conscious of his powers as a complete moral and intellectual being.
geometryof interior
*The vaults are ‘supported’ by quarter-width pilasters.
*The distance between the outer edge of one of these quarter-width pilasters and the inner edge of the next pilaster on the end walls forms the basic module for the inner articulation of the chapel.
*The space between the inner edges of the central pilasters is two modules wide.
*The area of the altar space is a perfect square measuring two modules x two modules.
*The height of the order from its base on the bench to the top of the cornice is exactly four modules.
*The shaft of each pilaster is three modules high and 1/3 module wide.
*Each capital is 1/3 module high and 1/2 module wide.
*The size of the storeys decreases by 1/2 a module as you go up (i.e. the bench to the base of the architrave; base of the architrave to base of the dome; base of the dome to the apex or ring of the lantern). This gives the corinthian order added grandeur
florentine tradition
*The articulation of elements in green/grey set against white was traditional in Florence, evident particularly on the Baptistery which was believed at the time to be the oldest building in the city.
*Brunelleschi uses traditional Florentine materials to new ends. All the interior mouldings are articulated in pietra serena: pilasters, capitals, window frames, rosettes, corbels, arches, medallions, oculi and dome ribs.
