"Dal disegno allo spazio": Michelangelo's Drawings for the Fortifications of Florence

Abstract

Since Charles de Tolnay first published them in 1940, Michelangelo's drawings for the fortifications of Florence have stimulated considerable scholarly interest. Tolnay likened the zoomorphic shapes of Michelangelo's sketches to crustaceous creatures. The analogy has become a commonplace, and while helping to describe the formal appearance of these unexpected designs, it has led most scholars to question their purpose and practicality. Furthermore, every scholar has followed Tolnay's general view that the series proceeds from the simple to the complex, with the drawings becoming increasingly abstract and fantastic. This paper proposes that Michelangelo's process of design was exactly the opposite. Beginning with abstract and complex ideas, Michelangelo proceeded to develop and refine his conceptions in a series of drawings that reflect a rational process of design. This hypothesis is more in accord with the historical facts and the documentary evidence and is based on a close analysis of the drawings themselves. The 20 sheets preserved in the Casa Buonarroti are evidence of Michelangelo's practical concern with particular problems of Florence's defense in 1528-1529 and represent the first stage of his successful activity as a military engineer for the Republic.

STROBE, CONSORT, PRISMA, MOOSE, STARD, SPIRIT, and other guidelines – Overview and application

“…[ 6 ] The Renaissance artist Michelangelo (1475-1564) famously emphasized the importance of “disegno” design. [ 7 ] However, well-designed studies do not necessarily lead to transparency—design is equally crucial for clarity and transparency of the presentation of methods used and obtained results. [ 8 ] Indeed, readers should bear in mind two sets of “tripods” when reading research.…”

Michelangelo’sSlavesand the Gift of Liberty*

“…13 For Michelangelo's kinship ties to the prominent Florentine families of the Strozzi, Medici, and Rucellai, see Wallace, 1992a and. Bernardo Rucellai's daughter Lucrezia was betrothed to Lorenzo Strozzi in 1493; they were married in 1503: see Bullard, 1980, 4. eventually became a partner.…”

“… 52 For Michelangelo’s work on the fortifications of the city, see De Tolnay, 1940; Manetti; Wallace, 1987. A document dated 7 April 1529 in the Archivio di Stato in Florence appointing Michelangelo superintendent of the Florentine fortifications notes that his service to the city has been given “gratis et amorevolmente”: see Gotti, 2:62. …”

Management Models of Sustainable Conservation for the Socio-economic Development of Local Communities : a case study of the fortifications of Famagusta, Cyprus and other fortified cities in the Eastern Mediterranean

“…The Renaissance scholar Leon Battista Alberti in his Ten Books on Architecture wrote that without walls, cities were "naked" (Alberti). Michaelangelo extensively drew the fortifications of Florence (Wallace 1987). And Machiavelli dedicated an entire book (Book 7) of his Art of War to the defense of cities and the construction of walls (Machiavelli and Dacres).…”