The Measure of Man
Liberty, Virtue, and Beauty in the Florentine Renaissance
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The Measure of Man
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Narrateur(s):
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David de Vries
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Auteur(s):
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Lawrence Rothfield
À propos de cet audio
It was one of the most concentrated surges of creativity in the history of civilization. Between 1390 and 1537, Florence poured forth an astonishing stream of magnificent artworks. But Florentines did more during this brief period than create masterpieces. As citizens of a fractious republic threatened from below, without, and within, they also were driven to reimagine the political and ethical basis of their world, exploring the meaning and possibilities of liberty, virtue, and beauty.
This vibrant era is brought to life in rich detail by noted historian Lawrence Rothfield in The Measure of Man. His account introduces listeners to a city teeming with memorable individuals and audacious risk-takers, capable of producing works of the most serene beauty and acts of the most shocking violence. Rothfield's cast of characters includes book hunters and book burners, devout Christians and assassins, humble pharmacists and arrogant oligarchs, all caught up in a dramatic struggle - a tragic arc running from the cultural heights of republican idealism in the early 15th century, through the aesthetic flowerings and civic vicissitudes of the age of the Medici and Savonarola, to the brooding meditations of Machiavelli and Michelangelo over the fate of the dying republic.
©2021 The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. (P)2021 TantorI rather enjoyed the segment where Michelangelo first proposed sculpting David from a single immense block of marble, something that had never been done before, on that scale. I also found the description of how the complete David was moved, inch-by-inch, from where he was carved to his first installation location. The doorway had to be removed to get him out. This was no single day process.
I built a my own Listening Guide to help me look back at main events during and after listening. You may find it helpful too!
Listening Guide – The Measure of Man: Liberty, Virtue, and Beauty in the Florentine Renaissance
Chapter 1 – Florence Rising
Early Florence feels raw and alive — a city of workers, readers, and small rebellions. A revolt against “hats and capes” hints at class tension, while rising literacy brings guild books and shop records that make the city visible from within. Freedom begins not in politics but in the daily acts of learning, making, and recording life.
Chapter 2 – The Work of Man
Florence shifts from being a place to being a community of doers. Craftsmanship and literacy fuse as work becomes moral expression. Guilds turn into laboratories of selfhood, and “the work of man” evolves into liberty — the freedom to think, create, and record one’s own life. Artists such as Donatello and Ghiberti embody this fusion of art, labor, and civic pride.
Chapter 3 – The Age of Cosimo
Cosimo de’ Medici’s patronage turns power into art. Architecture and philanthropy become civic theatre, merging generosity with ambition. Brunelleschi’s dome, Fra Angelico’s frescoes, and the Medici commissions turn beauty into a language of virtue. Florence begins to brand itself through art — virtue, pride, and public image fused into one.
Chapter 4 – Magnificence
Magnificence is Florence at full display: beauty as persuasion, art as politics. Public works assert freedom and identity, even as they blur the line between civic good and private glory. Painters like Botticelli and sculptors like Verrocchio express this confidence and contradiction, where faith and display walk hand in hand. Every façade and festival carries a claim of virtue.
Chapter 5 – New Jerusalem, New Republic
Faith and politics collide as Florence imagines itself a “New Jerusalem.” Savonarola’s reformist fire tests the city’s devotion to beauty and liberty. Botticelli turns inward, burning some of his own paintings; Leonardo da Vinci leaves for other courts. The people wrestle with being both mercantile and moral — a republic trying to stay pure while thriving on ambition.
Chapter 6 – The Twilight of the Republic
The republic fades into Medici rule. Michelangelo and Machiavelli bear witness as ideals of virtue and beauty strain under power’s weight. Leonardo’s and Raphael’s art radiates beyond Florence, even as civic ideals collapse. The dream dissolves, but its art endures — proof that beauty often outlasts freedom itself.
Edition details below refer to the Audible audiobook I listened to:
The Measure of Man: Liberty, Virtue, and Beauty in the Florentine Renaissance
Written by: Lawrence Rothfield
Narrated by: David de Vries
RELEASE DATE 2021-03-01
FORMAT Unabridged Audiobook
LENGTH 7 hrs and 9 mins
PUBLISHER Tantor Audio
©2021 The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. (P)2021 Tantor
Captivating!
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