Carlo Marsuppini (1399–1453), also known as Carlo Aretino and Carolus Arretinus, was an Italian

Renaissance humanist Renaissance humanism was a revival in the study of classical antiquity, at first in Italy and then spreading across Western Europe in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. During the period, the term ''humanist'' ( it, umanista) referred to teache ...

and chancellor of the Florentine Republic.

Biography

Marsuppini was born in

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

into a family from Arezzo, but grew up and died in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

. His father, Gregorio Marsuppini, had been governor of Genoa under

Charles VI of France Charles VI (3 December 136821 October 1422), nicknamed the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé) and later the Mad (french: le Fol or ''le Fou''), was King of France from 1380 until his death in 1422. He is known for his mental illness and psychotic ...

. Carlo was closely allied with the

Medici The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Mu ...

family, and was a tutor to Lorenzo di Giovanni di Medici during the 1420s. Circa 1433, he loitered in brief exile in Verona with Lorenzo and Cosimo di Medici. In 1444, he followed

Leonardo Bruni Leonardo Bruni (or Leonardo Aretino; c. 1370 – March 9, 1444) was an Italian humanist, historian and statesman, often recognized as the most important humanist historian of the early Renaissance. He has been called the first modern historian. ...

as chancellor of the Republic of

, with whom he shares the honor of a monument, designed by the sculptor

Desiderio da Settignano Desiderio da Settignano, real name Desiderio de Bartolomeo di Francesco detto Ferro ( 1428 or 1430 – 1464) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor active in north Italy. Biography He came from a family of stone carvers and stonemasons in Settigna ...

, in the church of Santa Croce.

Poggio Bracciolini Gian Francesco Poggio Bracciolini (11 February 1380 – 30 October 1459), usually referred to simply as Poggio Bracciolini, was an Italian scholar and an early Renaissance humanist. He was responsible for rediscovering and recovering many classi ...

became chancellor after Carlo's death. Upon the death of his father Gregorio in 1444, Carlo commissioned from the painter Filippo Lippi an altarpiece for a memorial to be placed in the church of the Olivetan Convent at Arezzo. The altarpiece depicts the '' Coronation of the Virgin, with St. John and St. Benedict'' (called '' Marsuppini Coronation'', now in Rome,

Pinacoteca Vaticana The Vatican Museums ( it, Musei Vaticani; la, Musea Vaticana) are the public museums of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of ...

. He was a man of great culture, the author of letters and some poems. Among his works: a ''Consolatio'' of noteworthy Christian inspiration (which contrasts with his reputation for unbelief) upon the death of Piccarda de' Bueri (1368 to 1433), addressed to her sons Cosimo dei Medici and Lorenzo.

Pope Nicholas V Pope Nicholas V ( la, Nicholaus V; it, Niccolò V; 13 November 1397 – 24 March 1455), born Tommaso Parentucelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 March 1447 until his death in March 1455. Pope Eugene made ...

instructed him in 1452 to translate

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

's ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Odys ...

'' into Latin; however he died with much of the work incomplete. There also remain some "belles-lettres" in the Humanist genre, such as a translation of the '' Batracomyomachia'', and solemn Latin poetry. Two sons of Carlo Marsuppini, Cristoforo and Carlo (junior) appear as characters in the ''Commentarium in Convivium Platonis de Amore'' (“Commentary on Plato’s ''Symposium''”) by Marsilio Ficino. Among Carlo's pupils was Giovanni Forteguerri of Pistoia. Marsuppini was posthumously crowned poet laureate; his eulogy was read by

Matteo Palmieri Matteo di Marco Palmieri (1406–1475) was a Florentine humanist and historian who is best known for his work ''Della vita civile'' ("On Civic Life"; printed 1528) which advocated civic humanism, and his influence in refining the Tuscan vernacul ...

Citations

External links

* 1399 births 1453 deaths Politicians from Florence Italian Renaissance humanists 15th-century people of the Republic of Florence Translators of Homer {{Italy-bio-stub