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Epistemological Obstacles to the Analysis of Structures: Giovanni Bottari’s Aversion to a Mathematical Assessment of Saint-Peter’s Dome (1743)

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Geometrical Objects

Part of the book series: Archimedes ((ARIM,volume 38))

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Abstract

Visible faults in the dome of Saint Peter’s basilica in Rome had raised fears about the structure’s stability ever since its completion in 1593. The most extensively documented episode of this long history erupted in the early 1740s, a few years after Prospero Lambertini was elected Pope Benedict XIV. The debates over the causes of the cracks, the ensuing scientific analyses, and the adopted solutions are well known, due to the Memorie istoriche della gran cupola del Tempio vaticano, the magisterial treatise published in 1748 by Giovanni Poleni (1685–1761), the mathematician entrusted with the supervision of the restoration work. One of the great points of interest of this episode was the involvement of competing protagonists and factions, including architects, master carpenters, and natural philosophers. Each of these groups benefited from varying degrees of credibility. Beyond the technical issues concerning the dome’s structure, the debate raised important questions about the social and intellectual legitimacy conferred by different forms of expertise.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre Alexandre Koyré, 27 Rue Damesme, 75013, Paris, France

    Pascal Dubourg Glatigny

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  1. Pascal Dubourg Glatigny
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Correspondence to Pascal Dubourg Glatigny .

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  1. Art History and Visual Studies, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom

    Anthony Gerbino

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Dubourg Glatigny, P. (2014). Epistemological Obstacles to the Analysis of Structures: Giovanni Bottari’s Aversion to a Mathematical Assessment of Saint-Peter’s Dome (1743). In: Gerbino, A. (eds) Geometrical Objects. Archimedes, vol 38. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05998-3_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05998-3_9

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-05997-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-05998-3

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