RAFFAELE MAFFEI AND THE DISCOVERY OF AN ETRUSCAN TOMB IN 1508

Type:

Book Chapter

Author:

Caroline Hillard

Published:

2023

The unearthing of an Etruscan tomb chamber at Castellina in Chianti, near Florence, in January 1508 was among the most memorable archeological events in Renaissance Italy. 1 The tomb is documented in at least three historical treatises and six letters, the earliest of which was written only twelve days after the discovery.These sources describe a lively exchange about Etruscan antiquities among prominent Florentines, including Chancellor Marcello Virgilio Adriani (1464-1521), Cardinal Francesco Soderini (1453-1524), and Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), who produced a drawing based on the find (fig.1).A generation later, in the 1540s, Florentine authors Pierfrancesco Giambullari (1495-1555), Pier Vettori (1499-1585), and Santi Marmocchini (d.1548) continued to discuss the find.These sources describe the wonder inspired by the tomb' s architecture, grave goods, and inscriptions, and by the Etruscan civilization itself. 2 A previously overlooked document in the Biblioteca Guarnacci in Volterra, dated June 9, 1508, provides new evidence for the tomb at Castellina and its reception in 16th-century Italy.It consists of an autograph letter written by the Volterran humanist Raffaele Maffei (1451-1522), known as il Volterrano, to the Florentine statesman Piero Soderini (1452-1522), gonfaloniere di giustizia of the Florentine Republic from 1502 to 1512. 3 It presents 1 Warm thanks to Daniele Conti for his transcription of the document discussed in this paper, to JosephMcAlhany for his…

Türkçe sayfa →