Andrea Rizzi - The Prince in Quattrocento Italian Courts

The Power of Luxury: Art and Culture at the Italian Courts in Machiavelli’s Lifetime
The Australian Institute of Art History
The University of Melbourne
19 and 20 February, 2013

Session One - Machiavelli's Prince
Tuesday 16 February 10.00 am

Andrea Rizzi
Machiavelli before Machiavelli: the Prince in Quattrocento Italian Courts

Abstract

This paper investigates an important connection between the Quattrocento humanists (Pontano, Maio, Decembrio, and Vergerio to mention a few) and Machiavelli. Fifteenth-century humanists tried, often unsuccessfully, to refashion tyrannical, pitiless and opportunistic princes of the Italian courts into virtuous and learned leaders. In an apparently antithetical yet paradoxically similar manner, Machiavelli wrote to Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici in the hope of changing him into a cynical, pragmatic and 'real-politick' leader. This paper discusses how both Quattrocento humanists and Machiavelli promoted cultural and political values that fundamentally clashed with the reality and nature of the leaderships under which their thought was produced.

Video
Not posted at source

Livetweets

Andrea Rizzi now speaks on the Prince in Quattrocento Italian Courts #machiavelli
— flissina (@flissina) February 18, 2013

Rizzi shows Mach's arrest warrant from 12 Feb 1513 - only recently discovered, the arrest will soon be re-enacted in Florence #machiavelli
— flissina (@flissina) February 18, 2013

Andrea Rizzi #machiavelli's "The Prince" did not have a great impact when 1st published ; also mentions recently discovered "arrest warrant"
— Hasan Niyazi (@3pipenet) February 18, 2013

Rizzi reads from & discusses letters between Mach & Vettori in 1513 to sketch court life - many chuckles from the audience #machiavelli
— flissina (@flissina) February 18, 2013

Rizzi quotes wonderful letter exchange between Vettori and #machiavelli showing origins of "The Prince"
— Hasan Niyazi (@3pipenet) February 18, 2013

MT @namastenancysf: @3pipenet Printed version not published until 1532, 5 yrs after #Machiavelli's death. Controversial for over 500 years.
— Hasan Niyazi (@3pipenet) February 18, 2013

... Mach was actually excluded from the court life in Florence #machiavelli
— flissina (@flissina) February 18, 2013

Rizzi discusses how the Prince is different from previous texts dedicated to princes & which also use classical sources #machiavelli
— flissina (@flissina) February 18, 2013

Rizzi: Palermo printed edition of "The Prince" contains frontispiece motto "sticks and stones..."#machiavelli twitter.com/3pipenet/statu…
— Hasan Niyazi (@3pipenet) February 18, 2013

Rizzi: strong emphasis in 15th C on importance/utility of history, which is v much ingrained in the courts of the ancients also #machiavelli
— flissina (@flissina) February 18, 2013

"The Utility of History" intimated in "The Prince" drew on classical antecdents, to instruct and humble present leaders #machiavelli
— Hasan Niyazi (@3pipenet) February 18, 2013

Excellent lively & informative paper from Rizzi; now Francesco Borghesi speaks on Mach's 'Love' #machiavelli
— flissina (@flissina) February 18, 2013

Dr. Andrea Rizzi holds a BA (Hons) from the Universita' Statale di Pavia (Italy) and PhD in Italian Renaissance from University of Kent at Canterbury (UK). Before coming to the University of Melbourne (2005), he held positions at Kent, University of Western Australia, and University of South Australia. Dr. Rizzi researches and publishes on translation history, Matteo Maria Boiardo, and fifteenth century Venetian chronicles.

nb. Entry created May 4 2013. Dated to Feb 19 (date of presentation) for indexing purposes