Cicisbeo

In 18th- and 19th-century Italy, the ''cicisbeo'' ( , , ; plural: ''cicisbei'') or () was the man who was the professed gallant or lover of a woman married to someone else. With the knowledge and consent of the husband, the cicisbeo attended his mistress at public entertainments, to church and other occasions, and had privileged access to this woman. The arrangement is comparable to the Spanish ''cortejo'' or ''estrecho'' and, to a lesser degree, to the French ''petit-maître''.

Etymology

The exact etymology of the word is unknown; some evidence suggests it originally meant "in a whisper" (perhaps an onomatopeic word). Other accounts suggest it is an inversion of ''bel cece'', which means "beautiful chick (pea)". According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded usage of the term in English was found in a letter by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu dated 1718. The term appears in Italian in Giovanni Maria Muti's ''Quaresimale Del Padre Maestro Fra Giovanni Maria Muti De Predicatori'' of 1708 (p. 734).

Social importance

This arrangement, called the ''cicisbeatura'' or ''cicisbeismo'', was widely practised, especially among the nobility of the Italian cities of Genoa, Nice, Florence and Rome.Krünitz, ''Cicisbeo''. While many contemporary references to ''cicisbei'' and descriptions of their social standing exist, scholars diverge on the exact nature of the phenomenon. Some maintain that this institution was defined by marriage contracts, others question this claim and see it as a peculiarity of 18th-century customs that is not well defined or easily explained. Other scholars see it as a sign of the increasing emancipation of aristocratic women in the 18th century.Cazzoli, 2028–35. Cited in Patriarca.

The ''cicisbeo'' was better tolerated if he was known to be homosexual. Louise d'Épinay wrote from Paris to her friend Ferdinando Galiani about the impending departure of marchese Alvise Mocenigo, the Venetian ambassador, whose tastes the ambassador had displayed in Paris:

Regardless of its roots and technicalities, the custom was firmly entrenched. Typically, husbands tolerated or even welcomed the arrangement: Lord Byron, for example, was ''cicisbeo'' to Teresa, Contessa Guiccioli. After Byron's death, the Contessa's second husband, the Marquis de Boissy, was known to brag about the fact,Hodgson, 16. introducing her as "''Madame la Marquise de Boissy, autrefois la Maitresse de Milord Byron''" (the Marquise de Boissy, formerly the mistress of Lord Byron). Byron also famously analyzed the institution from an English point of view in his poem '' Beppo''. Attempts by the husband to ward off prospective ''cicisbei'' or disapproval of the practice in general was likely to be met with ridicule and scorn:

''Cicisbei'' played by set rules, generally avoiding public displays of affection. At public entertainments, they would typically stand behind their seated mistress and whisper in her ear. Customs of the time did not permit them to engage in relationships with any other women during their free time, making the arrangement rather demanding. Either party could decide to end the relationship at any time. A woman's former ''cicisbei'' were called ''spiantati'' (literally ''penniless'', ''destroyed''), or cast-offs.

In the arts

The topic can be found in the contemporary poem '' Il Giorno'' (1763) by Giuseppe Parini. Other works from the period which make use of the topic include:
* ''Così fan tutte'' Act II scene 1 (1790), an opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
* ''The Antiquarian's Family'' (1749), a comedy by Carlo Goldoni
* ''L'italiana in Algeri'' (1813) and '' Il turco in Italia'' (1788), operas by Gioachino Rossini
* '' La Tosca'' (1887), play by Victorien Sardou, the basis of the opera ''Tosca'' by Giacomo Puccini
* '' Beppo'' (1817), a poem by Lord Byron.

See also

* Chaperone
* Courtesan
* Courtly love
* Cuckoldry
* Gigolo
* Mistress
* Polyandry

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Marzio Barbagli, ''Sotto lo stesso tetto: Mutamenti della famiglia in Italia dal XV al XX secolo'', (Bologna, 2000)
* Roberto Bizzocchi, "Cicisbei: La morale italiana," ''Storica'' 3 (1997)
* Roberto Bizzocchi. A Lady's Man: The Cicisbei, Private Morals and National Identity in Italy. Translated by Noor Giovanni Mazhar. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. 320 pp.
* Jeremy Black, ''Italy and the Grand Tour'', (New Haven, Conn., 2003)
* James Boswell, ''Boswell on the Grand Tour: Italy, Corsica, and France 1765–1766'', Frank Brady, ed. (New York, 1955)
* Carla Pellandra Cazzoli, "Dames et sigisbées: Un début d'emancipation feminine?". ''Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century'' 193 (1980)
* John Forsyth, ''Remarks on the Antiquities, Arts, and Letters during an Excursion in Italy in 1802 and 1803'', 2nd edn., (London, 1816)
* Barbara Hodgson, ''Italy Out of Hand: A Capricious Tour'', Chronicle Books LLC, 2005
* J.G. Krünitz (ed.), ''Oekonomische Encyklopädie oder allgemeines System der Staats- Stadt- Haus- und Landwirthschaft'', Volume 8, 1776
''Cicisbeo''
Retrieved on March 27, 2006
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* Jean Charles Léonard Simonde de Sismondi, ''Histoire des Républiques Italiennes du Moyen Age'', 5th edn., vol. 8 (1807–1818; Brussels, 1839)
* Tobias Smollett, '' Travels through France and Italy'', numerous editions.
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External links

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18th century in Italy
19th century in Italy
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