In 1638, the great artist-architect Gianlorenzo Bernini began one of the most ambitious architectural projects of his career: to design and construct massive twin bell towers atop St. Peter's basilica at the Vatican. But the project failed spectacularly. Bernini's reputation was permanently tarnished, and the scandal of the bell towers sparked a controversy that persists to this day. What happened? Who was responsible? How did events unfold in this dramatic episode of architectural history? This illustrated volume tells the complete story of the bell towers. Presenting both visual and documentary evidence, Sarah McPhee reconstructs the entire affair, the architectural and political milieu, the evolution of the designs, and the varying influences of all those involved in the project. McPhee examines the multiple constraints under which Bernini worked, including the ambitions of the Pope, the criticisms of rival architects, the financial and political constraints of the building committee, the monumental history of the basilica, and the geology of the site. She reinterprets Bernini's role as architect and shows convincingly that the failure of the bell tower was not Bernini's own. Instead, it was the failure of the institution of the Vatican, driven by liturgical and political imperatives, that doomed the project despite the architect's heroic efforts.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
"Art history at its best." -John A. Pinto, coauthor of Hadrian's Villa and Its Legacy
About the Author
Sarah McPhee is associate professor of art history at Emory University.
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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larghi palmi, south tower base, pyramidal finial, longo palmi, north tower base, del bernino, reentrant bay, elevation proposal, moneta sono, largo palmi, più disegni, south campanile, pilaster clusters, alternate towers, south bell tower, alto palmi, attic cavity, alla fabrica, atrium facade, tower affair, gatehouse church, della fabrica, haver fatto, facade block, north bell tower Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Virgilio Spada, Pietro Paolo Drei, Carlo Rainaldi, Bernini's Bell Tower, Nostro Signore, Gianlorenzo Bernini, Martino Longhi, Catalogue of Drawings, Francesco Borromini, Andrea Bolgi, Carlo Maderno, Mattheus Greuter, Cappella Paolina, San Pietro, Giovanni Battista Mola, Girolamo Rainaldi, Twin Towers, Congregation of the Fabbrica, Santi Moschetti, Cavaliere Bernini, Cavaliere Bernino, Martino Ferrabosco, Vatican Palace, Luigi Bernini, Campo Santo New!
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larghi palmi, south tower base, pyramidal finial, longo palmi, north tower base, del bernino, reentrant bay, elevation proposal, moneta sono, largo palmi, più disegni, south campanile, pilaster clusters, alternate towers, south bell tower, alto palmi, attic cavity, alla fabrica, atrium facade, tower affair, gatehouse church, della fabrica, haver fatto, facade block, north bell tower Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Virgilio Spada, Pietro Paolo Drei, Carlo Rainaldi, Bernini's Bell Tower, Nostro Signore, Gianlorenzo Bernini, Martino Longhi, Catalogue of Drawings, Francesco Borromini, Andrea Bolgi, Carlo Maderno, Mattheus Greuter, Cappella Paolina, San Pietro, Giovanni Battista Mola, Girolamo Rainaldi, Twin Towers, Congregation of the Fabbrica, Santi Moschetti, Cavaliere Bernini, Cavaliere Bernino, Martino Ferrabosco, Vatican Palace, Luigi Bernini, Campo Santo New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 24
books:
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- The Trevi Fountain by John A. Pinto on page 266, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- British Library by Philip Howard on page 188, and Back Matter
- Making of Britain: Middle Ages (The making of Britain) by Lesley M. Smith in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Metropolitan Museum Of Art by Howard Hibbard in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Architecture of Michelangelo by James S. Ackerman in Back Matter
See all 24 books this book cites
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