In the 1500s the Arsenale was described as the foundation of Venice’s greatness and the bastion of Christendom. It was without doubt the most impressive and sophisticated industrial facility of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. This lecture will look at how its engineers drew on newly discovered works by Aristotle as well as on the expertise of both Galileo and Palladio, and how it inspired artists such as Titian and Vittore Carpaccio.

Ross King is the award-winning author of numerous books on Italian and French art and history, including Brunelleschi’s Dome and Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling. His biography Machiavelli: Philosopher of Power has been called a "convincing portrait of one of the most misunderstood thinkers of all time." His most recent book, published in April 2021, is The Bookseller of Florence: The Story of the Manuscripts That Illuminated the Renaissance.