Castiglione, Baldassare

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Castiglione, Baldassare out important diplomatic missions (e.g., to England in 1506) and became Urbino’s ambassador in Born: 6 December 1478, Casatico, Near Mantua Rome. Made a widower in 1520, he took minor Died: 8 February 1529, Toledo orders and entered the service of the Roman Curia: in 1525 he was posted as a papal nuncio at the court Annick Paternoster of Emperor Charles V in Spain, where he remained Istituto di Studi italiani, Università della Svizzera till his death, facing sharp criticism about his failure italiana (CH), Lugano, Switzerland to prevent the Sack of Rome. His diplomatic career is typical of how the Italian nobility was trying to Abstract cope with the rapid erosion of the peninsula’s polit- Baldassare Castiglione, an Italian courtier and ical clout by choosing career paths that lead to diplomat for the dukes of Urbino and for the Rome, the only political center deemed capable of Roman Curia, is the author of The Book of the exerting a European inﬂuence. Courtier (Il libro del cortegiano), a courtesy book examining social interaction between gentleman, ladies, and their rulers. It was Heritage and Rupture with the Tradition published in 1528 to immediate international acclaim. Set at the court of Urbino, during four evenings in the spring of 1507, The Book of the Courtier discusses the qualities of the ideal courtier in Biography dialogue form, closely imitating Cicero’s De Oratore, whose interlocutors are well-known con- Castiglione was born in the Margravate of Man- temporary orators (Castiglione 2002, 2016a). tua; via his mother he was related to a lesser Likewise, Castiglione’s characters are exemplary branch of the Gonzaga family. When he was a courtiers and ladies who live at the court in teen, he was sent to Milan, where he received a Urbino: this courtesy book is as much trying to humanistic education. Back in Mantua, he entered teach courtly behavior through the content of the the service of the Marquis, but in 1504 he trans- discussions as through dialogic form itself: a fered to the Montefeltro court of Urbino, a vibrant witty, lively display, sometimes heated, but epicenter of Renaissance culture, where he stayed never aggressive nor pedantic, and always tending until 1513, befriending among others, Pietro toward agreement (Cox 2008). Whereas topics Bembo, Bernardo Bibbiena, and Raphael, who such as the use of vernacular language and the famously painted his portrait (Fig. 1). He carried virtue of women provoke intense debate with

Castiglione, Baldassare, Fig. 1 Raphael, born Raffaello Sanzio (1483–1520), Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione, 1514–1515, Oil on canvas, 82cm 67 cm, Paris, museéÂ du Louvre (Inv 611). Photo (C) RMN-Grand Palais (museé du Louvre) / Daniel Arnaudet

rapid turn-taking, the qualities of the courtier and Cicero’s De Oratore and De Officiis, Castiglione his lady, the nature of grace, and the service to the firmly grounds the courtier’s central quality, grace- prince are presented in continuous speech, which fulness (grazia), in decorum, i.e. the capacity to contains entertaining examples and is occasion- discern (discernere) – with judiciousness (giudicio, ally interrupted by questions, comments, and discrezione) – every single circumstance and to objections. The dialogue culminates in Pietro choose – with prudence (prudenza) – the most Bembo’s passionate monologue in defense of appropriate behavior (Saccone 1992). Appropriate- Neoplatonic love. Castiglione’s dialogue, thus, ness, or measure, is effectively an art to achieve can be read as an exemplary performance of con- grace for those who are born without it; however, to versational rhetoric (sermo). convince peers and prince alike of his true nobility, the courtier needs to hide the art behind grace: sprezzatura or effortlessness, the art of dissembling Innovative and Original Aspects one’s efforts, is rooted in the rhetorical figure of dissimulation and is ultimately the art to persuade The ideal courtier is virtuous but at the same time the audience of one’s innate nobility (Whigham perfectly in control of his performance at court, 1984; Snyder 2009). The Courtier’s fortunes as a pursuing both ethical and aesthetical aspirations. courtesy book are probably linked to the presence The most innovative aspect of the courtier is that of this encompassing rule, an adaptable tool to perfect behavior is situated at the crossroads of navigate complex life at court. rhetoric and practical ethics. A reader of both Castiglione, Baldassare 3

Impact and Legacy ▶ Dissimulation ▶ Etiquette book Taking 15 years to complete the Courtier, Casti- ▶ Gentleman glione produces three full manuscripts (Motta ▶ Grace 2003). The publication was eagerly anticipated, ▶ Honnête homme and unauthorized copies had started to circulate, ▶ Pietro Bembo prompting the author to a hasty ﬁnal revision. The ▶ Sermo book was published in 1528 by the most presti- ▶ Sprezzatura gious publishers of the time: the Aldine press in Venice and, a year later, the Giunti of Florence (Quondam 2000) (Fig. 1). The text became a References European bestseller, with as many as 115 publica- tions and translations even before 1600 (Burke Primary Literature 1995). It was very quickly translated into Spanish Castiglione, Baldesar. 2002. The Book of the Courtier. (1534) and into French (1537), with other lan- Ed. Daniel Javitch. Trans. Ch. Singleton. guages following soon after: Latin and English New York/London: Norton and Company. Castiglione, Baldassare. 2016a. Il libro del cortegiano. (1561) and German (1565). Castiglione’s Cour- 3 vols. Ed. Amedeo Quondam. Rome: Bulzoni. tier became the ultimate conduct book for court Castiglione, Baldassare. 2016b. Lettere famigliari e life during the ancien régime, a blueprint for its diplomatiche. 3 vols. Eds. Angelo Stella, Umberto aristocratic role models such as the gentleman and Morando, Roberto Vetrugno. Turin: Einaudi. the honnête homme. Castiglione also leaves an impressive body of just under 2000 letters, Secondary Literature consisting of familiar and diplomatic letters, an Burke, Peter. 1995. The fortunes of the courtier. Cam- bridge: Polity Press. important testament of the conversational spirit of Cox, Virginia. 2008. The renaissance dialogue: Literary Renaissance court life (Castiglione 2016b). dialogue in its social and political contexts, Castiglione to Galileo. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Motta, Uberto. 2003. Castiglione e il mito di Urbino. Studi sulla elaborazione del Cortegiano. Milan: Vita e Cross-References pensiero. Quondam, Amedeo. 2000. "Questo povero Cortegiano," ▶ Ancien régime Castiglione, il Libro, la Storia. Rome: Bulzoni. ▶ Appropriateness Saccone, Eduardo. 1992. Le buone e le cattive maniere. Letteratura e galateo nel Cinquecento. Bologna: Il ▶ Cicero Mulino. ▶ Courtesy book Snyder, Jon. 2009. Dissimulation and the culture of ▶ Court secrecy in early modern Europe. Berkeley: U. of Cal- ▶ Courtier ifornia P. Whigham, Frank. 1984. Ambition and privilege. The social ▶ Decorum tropes of Elizabethan courtesy theory. Berkeley: Uni- ▶ Dialogue versity of California Press.