in 1513. She spent her whole life in the study of philosophy and polite literature, and is esteemed one of the best Italian poets of the sixteenth century. The principal
, a celebrated architect
and sculptor, was born at Florence in 1511, and was at first
the scholar of Baccio Bandinelli, and then of Sansovino
at Venice; but on his return to his own country, he studied
with much enthusiasm the sculptures of Michael Angelo in
the chapel of St. Laurence. His first works are at Pisa;
for Florence he executed a Leda, and about the same time,
for Naples, the three figures, large as life, on the tomb of
the poet Sannazarius. Meeting with some unpleasant circumstances here, he returned to Venice, and made the
colossal Neptune, which is in St. Mark’s place. At Padua
he made another colossal statue, of Hercules, which is still
in the Montava palace, and has been engraved. He then
went to Rome to study the antique, and pope Julius III.
employed him in works of sculpture in the capitol. Some
time after, in conjunction withVasari, he erected the tomb
of cardinal de Monti, which added very considerably to his
fame. Besides these, he executed a great number of
works for Rome, Florence, and other places. The porticoes of the court of the palace Pitti are by him, as well as
the bridge of the Trinity, one of the finest structures that
have been raised since the revival of the arts, the facade of
the Roman college, and the palace Rupsoli on the Corso.
This architect composed a large work, entitled “La Cita,
”
comprising designs for all the public edifices necessary to a
great city. This book, after having passed successively
through several hands, was presented some time in the
eighteenth century to prince Ferdinand of Tuscany, and
it is now among the collection of designs in the gallery of
Florence, after having been long inquired after, and supposed to be lost. After the death of his wife, he devoted
the greater part of his wealth to pious purposes, and died
himself in 1592. His wife, Laura Battiferri, an Italian
lady of distinguished genius and learning, was the daughter of John. Antony Battiferri, and was born at Urbino in
1513. She spent her whole life in the study of philosophy
and polite literature, and is esteemed one of the best Italian poets of the sixteenth century. The principal merit
of her poems, “L'Opere Toscane,
”
, one of the best Italian poets of the sixteenth century, was born
, one of the best Italian
poets of the sixteenth century, was born at Bologna in
1506, of one of the most illustrious families of that city and
of all Italy. His father, Hannibal II. being obliged, by
pope Julius II. to leave his country, of which his ancestors
had been masters from the commencement of the fifteenth
century, and to go to Milan, he took his son with him, then
an infant. Seven years after, he settled with his whole family at Ferrara, under the protection of the princes of the
house of Este, to whom he was nearly related. His son
here made rapid progress in his studies, and became distinguished at the court of duke Alphonso I. He was accomplished in music, singing, and the sports and exercises
of manly youth; and to all this he added a solidity of judgment which procured him to be employed by the dukes of
Ferrara in state-affairs of importance. He was employed
on one of these negociations when he died, Nov. 6, 1573.
His works, which were printed at first separately, and inserted in many of the collections, were published together
under the title of “Opere poetiche del sig. Ercole Bentivoglio,
” Paris,