If you look at the base of Brunelleschi’s Dome (the drum), you will notice that only one of its eight sides is decorated with white and green marble. The other seven sides are bare, consisting only of exposed brickwork.
In the 1500s, the architect Baccio d’Agnolo was commissioned to finish this section with a decorated loggia. However, when the first side was completed, Michelangelo Buonarroti delivered a crushing verdict. After seeing the decoration, he dismissed it with contempt as a “cricket cage” (used during the cricket festival).
Michelangelo believed the design was too small and delicate for the immense scale of the Dome. Deeply offended by this ruthless critique, Baccio d’Agnolo abandoned the work. From that moment on, no one else dared to continue the project. Even today, the drum of the Dome remains unfinished, serving as a lasting testament to the immense power of Michelangelo’s opinion.
