Bernardo Dovizi of Bibbiena (4 August 1470 – 9 November 1520) was an Italian

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

and

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

writer, known best as Cardinal Bibbiena, for the town of

Bibbiena Bibbiena () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany (Italy), the largest town in the valley of Casentino. It is located from Florence, from Arezzo, from Siena, and from the Sanctuary of La Verna. There are approximately 11, ...

, where he was born.

Biography

He received a substantial literary training, and became a preceptor and boon companion of Giovanni dei Medici, the future Pope

Leo X Pope Leo X (; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521. Born into the prominent political and banking Me ...

(from 1513 to his death in 1521). In November 1494, when the

Medici The House of Medici ( , ; ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first consolidated power in the Republic of Florence under Cosimo de' Medici and his grandson Lorenzo "the Magnificent" during the first half of the 15th ...

were banished, he supported them. Soon afterwards he was rewarded with the protection of Julius II and many honours at the Roman court. In 1513 his arduous efforts on behalf of his lifelong patron secured the election of Giovanni dei Medici to the pontifical throne. Leo X repaid such services by naming him a Cardinal in the Consistory of 23 September 1513, and appointing him Cardinal Deacon of S. Maria in Portico. Leo continued to show his favor by appointing Bibbiena his treasurer and entrusting him with many important missions, among them the command of the Papal army in the

War of Urbino The War of Urbino (January–September 1517) was a secondary episode of the Italian Wars. The conflict ensued after the end of the War of the League of Cambrai (1508–16), when Francesco Maria I della Rovere decided to take advantage of the si ...

(1517) and a legation to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

(1518). Later on, the cardinal's strong sympathies for France lost him Leo's confidence. As cardinal he steadily extended his generous patronage of the arts - he was a close friend of

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...

, whom he had known since his youth, and arranged his engagement to his niece. Raphael painted a number of works for him, including frescoes of a classical and erotic style for his bathroom in the Vatican.

Author

His literary fame is mainly connected with the first comedy of note written in Italian prose, '' La Calandra'' (also, known as ''Il Calandro'' and ''La Calandria''), was probably given for the first time at

Urbino Urbino ( , ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, southwest of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially und ...

, about 1507. It was performed elaborately at

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, seven years later, in the presence of

and Isabella Gonzaga d'Este, Marchioness of

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

. Though containing glaringly immoral scenes, using the plot of

Plautus Titus Maccius Plautus ( ; 254 – 184 BC) was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest Latin literary works to have survived in their entirety. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the genre devised by Livius Andro ...

's ''

Menaechmi ''Menaechmi'', a Latin-language play, is often considered Plautus' greatest play. The title is sometimes translated as ''The Brothers Menaechmus'' or ''The Two Menaechmuses''. ''Menaechmi'' is a comedy about mistaken identity, involving a set o ...

'', it possessed the features of modern comedy and won plaudits for its sparkling wit and fine characterization. The main character, Calandro or Calandrino, was borrowed from

Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio ( , ; ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian people, Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanism, Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so ...

Decameron ''The Decameron'' (; or ''Decamerone'' ), subtitled ''Prince Galehaut'' (Old ) and sometimes nicknamed ''l'Umana commedia'' ("the Human comedy", as it was Boccaccio that dubbed Dante Alighieri's ''Comedy'' "''Divine''"), is a collection of ...

in which he appears as a character in four stories. The author of the comedy sympathizes with Fulvia, and her lover Lidio, mocking the foolish husband of Calandro, who falls in love with Lidio, who changes into women's dress. The speeches of Fesenio, the servant of Calandro, shine with Italian sparkling jokes.

Ariosto Ludovico Ariosto (, ; ; 8 September 1474 – 6 July 1533) was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic '' Orlando Furioso'' (1516). The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's ''Orlando Innamorato'', describ ...

and Machiavelli imitated this comedy in their plays. A

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

n poet serving at the

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

Court, Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino, wrote a libretto based on the same story for the comic opera '' Calandro'' by

Giovanni Alberto Ristori Giovanni Alberto Ristori (1692 – 7 February 1753) was an Italian opera composer and conductor. He was the son of Tommaso Ristori, the leader of an opera troupe belonging to the King of Poland and Elector of Saxony August II the Strong (based ...

. It was first staged in 1726 at the castle of Pilnitz near Dresden, and in 1731 in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

it was the first ever opera performed in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. There were also the operas by: *

Antonio Sacchini Antonio Maria Gasparo Gioacchino Sacchini (14 June 1730 – 6 October 1786) was an Italian classical period (music), classical era composer, best known for his operas. Sacchini was born in Florence, but raised in Naples, where he received his m ...

, ''L'avaro deluso, o Don Calandrino'' (24 November 1778

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

) *Johann Georg Schürer, ''Calandro'' (20 January 1748

) *Giuseppe Gazzaniga, ''Il Calandrino'' (1771

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

)

Influence on Renaissance Art and Patronage

Bernardo Dovizi, also known as Cardinal Bibbiena, was a significant patron of the arts during the Renaissance. His support for artists, particularly Raphael, had a profound impact on the development of Renaissance art. As a high-ranking cleric and papal official, Dovizi had access to influential circles within the Vatican, allowing him to be an important figure in the cultural and artistic movements of his time. One of his most notable contributions was his close relationship with the renowned painter

. It is believed that Cardinal Bibbiena played a key role in securing commissions for Raphael, including the famous

Raphael Rooms The four Raphael Rooms () form a suite of reception rooms in the Apostolic Palace, now part of the Vatican Museums, in Vatican City. They are famous for their frescoes, painted by Raphael and his workshop. Together with Michelangelo's Sistine Chap ...

in the Vatican. Dovizi's patronage allowed Raphael to further establish his artistic legacy, and their collaboration helped shape the visual identity of the Vatican. In addition to Raphael, Cardinal Bibbiena also supported other artists and writers, fostering an environment that encouraged the flourishing of Renaissance art and culture. His influence extended beyond mere financial support, as he actively facilitated the growth of Italian Renaissance art by connecting artists with powerful figures in the church and the Italian courts.

References

Sources

*Barbiche, B.; S. de Dainville Barbiche (1985). "Les lègats "a latere" en France," in:
Archivium historiae pontificiae
', 22 (1985), pp. 93–165 at p. 50. *Cardella, Lorenzo (1793). ''Memorie storiche de' cardinali della santa romana''. Tomo quarto (Roma: Pagliarini 1793), pp. 7–9. * *Gaeta, F. (1969. "Il Bibbiena diplomatico," ''Rinascimento'', serie 2, 9 (1969), pp. 69–94. * *Santelli, A. (1931). ''Il cardinal Bibbiena'', Bologna 1931. (panegyric)

External links