The genesis and design of Michelangelo's Campidoglio (Italy)

This dissertation focuses on the Campidoglio, the largest and most influential secular architectural design of Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564). Despite the as built complex's coherence and importance in the history of architecture and urbanism, it does not follow Michelangelo's intentions. Little was built before Michelangelo's death and succeeding architects did not entirely understand or respect his designs. Shortly after his death, the French artist Etienne Duperac recorded what was claimed to be Michelangelo's final design in a series of engravings. Close examination of the engravings and comparative analysis with those portions actually built under Michelangelo's supervision confirms their validity. Analysis of Michelangelo's designs and original drawings for other projects, including the San Lorenzo facade, the Medici Chapel and the Laurentian Library in Florence, leads to new interpretations and identifications of many drawings, and identifies important precedents for the Campidoglio project. This leads to a new understanding of Michelangelo's design process in general and for the Campidoglio specifically. A revised chronology of the design stages of the Campidoglio project is presented. It is argued that Michelangelo executed a master plan for the Campidoglio by 1538, and completed designs for the three palaces by the mid-1540s. Analysis of the project as built in conjunction with the surviving graphic evidence allows Michelangelo's Campidoglio design to be reconstructed in computer model form. Comparative analysis of the model and the as built project elucidates many differences. Their cumulative effect has a significant impact on the interpretation and meaning of the project: Michelangelo's intention was to create a Renaissance forum for the secular government and people of sixteenth century Rome. He conceived it as an urban stage for civic rituals associated with the governmental institution it housed, as well as a civic museum, which celebrated the glory of Rome's past and the city's recent Renaissance. His carefully conceived urban design exploited existing conditions, linking the Campidoglio physically, visually and symbolically to the adjacent Forum Romanum and the Vatican across the city. This study leads to a new understanding of Michelangelo's approach to architectural design and provides new insight into the specific form and meaning of the Campidoglio and his other designs.