Capter 11 Connection Task The Medici Family

The Medici family lived in Florence, Italy in the 14 century. They were a wealthy family that gained power through the Medici Bank. They developed the double entry bookkeeping system that kept records that tracked credit and debts. Giovanni Medici was the first to enter the banking system until his death. His son Cosimo took over for him in 1434. The most important accomplishments of this family were through the sponsorship of the arts. The Medici family wanted to finish the dome of the cathedral in Florence to gain more political power. They hired Fillippo Brunelleschi to fulfill this task. This type of architecture had never been attempted before and the people of Florence thought that it would fail. But the dome was finished and the Medici family became to be recognized as the most powerful family in Florence, Italy. The Pantheon, built in ancient Rome, is the largest dome built in the world with non- reinforced concrete. The pantheon served as a model for western architecture. Many buildings were inspired by this design like the US capital in Washington, DC. The original capital building in D.C. was revised to the present day magnificent dome. The capital in Washington, DC became an inspiration for some of the 50 states in America. I have toured the Capital and of course find it very inspiring and it sends a clear message of power and prestige. Obviously other countries view this building as being the center of our government especially considering that it was speculated as a potential target on 9/11. In the summer of 2009 I was a junior in high school and was selected to attend a Girl Scout trip called Pathways to Politics. During the trip we went to Trenton, New Jersey to the capital building which has a beautiful dome. We had a private tour and pretended to be senators in our own senate hearing. During this day I came to the realization that domes are an important symbol of the United State’s government. Upon further research I discovered that 41 out of the 50 states have domes on their capitol buildings. New York State does not have a dome and I find the building’s design as a disappointment. When I travel to Washington for a visit my family goes down route15 through Harrisburg, Pa. This city has a very beautiful capital building sitting along the river’s edge. This city is not only the capital for Pennsylvania but also has a long standing history of being the center of power dating back to William Penn. In my opinion the states that do not have capital buildings with domes seem to send a message of a lack of political power or importance. They appear to be non-inspiring and just plain boring. The state capital buildings that lack the dome would require for someone to tell me which building is their seat of government. Otherwise I would not recognize it as an important government building. So I think that the Medici family’s ideal of how to communicate the whole concept of strength, power and prestige by the use of architecture was right on the mark. This message of power by use of a unique dome has gone down through history as being significant and demands attention long after its creators have been gone for generations.