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''Sprezzatura'' () is an
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
word that first appears in
Baldassare Castiglione Baldassare Castiglione, Count of Casatico (; 6 December 1478 – 2 February 1529),Dates of birth and death, and cause of the latter, fro, ''Italica'', Rai International online. was an Italian courtier, diplomat, soldier and a prominent Renaissanc ...
's 1528 '' The Book of the Courtier'', where it is defined by the author as "a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it". It is the ability of the
courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official ...
to display "an easy facility in accomplishing difficult actions which hides the conscious effort that went into them". ''Sprezzatura'' has also been described "as a form of defensive
irony Irony (), in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what on the surface appears to be the case and what is actually the case or to be expected; it is an important rhetorical device and literary technique. Irony can be categorized int ...
: the ability to disguise what one really desires, feels, thinks, and means or intends behind a mask of apparent reticence and nonchalance". The word has entered the English language; the
Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a c ...
defines it as "studied carelessness", especially as a characteristic quality or style of art or literature, although it is also used in the aesthetic context.


History

During his stay in
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
as Ambassador of the Holy See (1524-1529), and inspired by the Spanish court, Castiglione wrote ''The Book of the Courtier'' as a portrayal of an idealized courtier—one who could successfully keep the support of his ruler. Set in his native
Duchy of Urbino The Duchy of Urbino was an independent duchy in early modern central Italy, corresponding to the northern half of the modern region of Marche. It was directly annexed by the Papal States in 1625. It was bordered by the Adriatic Sea in the east ...
, the book runs as several conversations held between courtiers of
Guidobaldo da Montefeltro Guidobaldo (Guido Ubaldo) da Montefeltro (25 January 1472 – 10 April 1508), also known as Guidobaldo I, was an Italian condottiero and the Duke of Urbino from 1482 to 1508. Biography Born in Gubbio, he succeeded his father Federico da Montefe ...
. The ideal courtier was supposed to be skilled in arms and in athletic events but be equally skilled in music and dancing. However, the courtier who had sprezzatura managed to make these difficult tasks look easy – and, more to the point, not appear calculating, a not-to-be-discounted asset in a milieu commonly informed by ambition, intrigue, etc. Concerning ''sprezzatura'', Castiglione said: Castiglione was generally an admirer of ''sprezzatura'', and considered it an essential attribute in becoming the ideal courtier. In his view, this quality was inherent to the Spanish nobleman as opposed to the French nobleman, who he considered more 'presumptuous'.


Positive and negative attributes

''Sprezzatura'' was a vital quality for a courtier to have. According to Professor Wayne Rebhorn, courtiers essentially had to put on a performance for their peers and those who employed ''sprezzatura'' created the impression that they completely mastered the roles they played. In Rebhorn's opinion, a courtier's ''sprezzatura'' made him seem to be fully at ease in court and like someone who was "the total master of self, society's rules, and even physical laws, and is ''sprezzatura'' createdthe distinct impression that he asunable to err". Of its virtues, Castiglione wrote "The great virtue of sprezzatura is that it implies a greatness unseen, a potential implicit in its very subtleties and flaws, a strength held in reserve." Howard Wescott and other scholars have also noted the negative aspects of making difficult tasks seem effortless, namely, that in practice, ''sprezzatura'' involved an ability to trick people convincingly. Wescott states that ''Sprezzatura'' was, in a way, "the art of acting deviously", an "art" that created a "self-fulfilling culture of suspicion" because courtiers had to be diligent in maintaining their façades. "The by-product of the courtier's performance is that the achievement of ''sprezzatura'' may require him to deny or disparage his nature". Consequently, courtiers who excelled at ''sprezzatura'' risked losing themselves to the façade they put on for their peers.


Examples in Renaissance art

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual ...
as an artist exemplified ''sprezzatura'' from the beginning of his career, starting with his first signed work ''
The Marriage of the Virgin The Marriage of the Virgin is the subject in Christian art depicting the marriage of the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The marriage is not mentioned in the canonical Gospels but is covered in several apocryphal sources and in later redactions, no ...
''. "Inspired by his teacher
Perugino Pietro Perugino (, ; – 1523), born Pietro Vannucci, was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, who developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael was his most famous pupil. ...
's rendering of the same subject, Raphael's painting can be found to differ primarily from its model by its unique awareness of the importance of ''sprezzatura''." Raphael's painting reveals its awareness of the importance of ''sprezzatura'' through his representation of Joseph. Compared to Raphael's more youthful representation of Joseph, Perugino's version of Joseph is considerably more idealized and older. Perugino's Joseph, despite his almost cloying sweetness in contrast to earlier depictions by other artists, retains a certain hardness of profile and angularity which Raphael has avoided by softening the anatomy of facial features and breaking the rigid profile ever so slightly. Additionally, "the poses and garments of the two also reveal a subtle transformation which reflects the same deliberate alteration of attitude." For instance, the gracefulness of Perugino's Joseph is "emphasized by the highlighting of drapery and body. The easy S-like movement from ear to right toe is inescapably obvious." On the other hand, the grace displayed by Raphael's Joseph "is equally great but perhaps more affecting since the manner of its expression is less obvious." Joseph's posture demonstrates an understated grace, since his slight turn toward the viewer tends to conceal the easy flow of line which characterizes the figure overall while he introduces any number of linear rhythms in the garment subordinate to the main movement of the figure. These variations, in addition to the deliberate avoidance of any dramatic highlights, help to explain why it is that we feel the "nonchalance" of Raphael's Joseph in contrast to the almost hieratic frozen grace of Perugino's. In the former we can detect that quality which Castiglione had in mind when he wrote: "Therefore we may call that art true art which does not seem to be art." Sprezzatura is a major feature of
Mannerist Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Ita ...
art and sculpture, particularly the bella maniera school, in which the artist synthesized the best attributes from various sources into a new design. Sprezzatura emphasized virtuosic effects that were displayed with apparent ease and facility. Cellini's Perseus would be an excellent example.


See also

* Coquette flirtation, demure non-serious, polite, shy, playful or for amusement flirt * Glamour, of which sprezzatura is said to be a necessary part * Shibui, a similar Japanese aesthetic


References


Bibliography

* * * *


Further reading

* *Eugenia, Paulicelli, (2016). Writing Fashion in Early Modern Italy : From Sprezzatura to Satire. *Boyer, Bruce (2015). ''True Style: The History and Principles of Classic Menswear''.


External links


Definition and Examples of Sprezzatura
{{authority control Italian literature Italian Renaissance Italian words and phrases