Francesco Bartoli portrait by Bonaventura Benati

Francesco Saverio Bartoli (1745–1806) was an Italian actor born in

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, playwright, and writer. He is most remembered today for his biographical dictionary, ''Notizie istoriche de' comici italiani''. It was the first serious attempt to document the lives and works of Italian actors from the ''

commedia dell'arte Commedia dell'arte was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Theatre of Italy, Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is a ...

'' in 1550 through the late 18th century and is still considered one of the most important sources of information about the Italian theatrical profession during that period.Bartoli, Francesco (1781/2010)
''Notizie istoriche de comici italiani''
edited and annotated by Giovanna Sparacello, Franco Vazzoler, and Maurizio Melai. L' Institut de recherche sur le patrimoine musical en France (IRPMF)

Career

Francesco first directed amateur improvising groups and further directed minor professional companies, and finally joined the major troupe led by Petro Rossi. He married a leading actress

Teodora Ricci Teodora () is a feminine given name, a variation of the name Theodora. Notable people with the name include: * Teodora Sava (born 2001), Romanian singer *Teodora Albon (born 1977), Romanian football referee * Teodora Ginés, (1530–1598), Domin ...

in 1769. After two years later, Francesco and his wife joined an important company during those years, which was led by

Antonio Sacco Antonio Sacchi (1708–1788) was an Italian improvisational actor, renowned for his performance as the Commedia dell'arte stock character Truffaldino. Sacchi's lasting influence was in requesting playwright Carlo Goldoni to provide a dramatic str ...

References

1745 births 1806 deaths 18th-century Italian male actors Italian male stage actors 18th-century Italian dramatists and playwrights 18th-century Italian male writers Male actors from Bologna Writers from the Papal States {{Italy-writer-stub