Known as the “Volterrano”, Mario Maffei (1463-1537) was one of the most clever and witted men of his time, a leading figure in the Renaissance. As a prelate at the papal court in Rome, Mario quickly obtained a series of important positions. He was a family member of Giulio II and was familiar with Paolo III and Clemente VII. The bishop of Volterra had relevant experience in the field of art and architecture: this aptitude well known in the humanistic circles he attended helped him to became the supervisor of the construction of St. Peter’s and a consultant for Villa Madama. In this articulated cultural context, Mario matured the idea of building his own palace in Volterra. There is no documented evidence to support any specific attribution for the palace project; one hypothesis attributes it to Baldassarre Peruzzi. The book draws a complex biographical profile of the prelate and traces the construction history of his city palace through a series of letters, most of which are unpublished
Mario Maffei detto il “Volterrano” (1463-1537) fu uno tra gli uomini più intelligenti e arguti del suo tempo, una figura di primo piano nel panorama del Rinascimento. Prelato alla corte papale, Mario ottenne rapidamente una serie di importanti incarichi. Egli fu familiare di Giulio II, legato da relazione amicale a Paolo III e a Clemente VII. Il vescovo volterrano aveva una notevole esperienza in campo artistico e architettonico, tale attitudine era nota negli ambienti che frequentava, tanto da diventare il supervisore della fabbrica di San Pietro e guadagnarsi l’impegnativo incarico di seguire i lavori della villa Madama. In questo articolato contesto culturale Mario maturò l’idea di innalzare il proprio palazzo a Volterra. Il progetto del palazzo non ha un’attribuzione certa, un’ipotesi, non attestata da alcun documento di cantiere, lo assegna a Baldassarre Peruzzi. Il volume traccia il complesso profilo biografico del prelato volterrano e ricostruisce la storia costruttiva del suo palazzo di città attraverso una serie di lettere, in buona parte inedite.
Palazzo Maffei tra storia e costruzione. Sulle tracce di Baldassarre Peruzzi a Volterra
Ulivieri, Denise
2023-01-01
Abstract
Known as the “Volterrano”, Mario Maffei (1463-1537) was one of the most clever and witted men of his time, a leading figure in the Renaissance. As a prelate at the papal court in Rome, Mario quickly obtained a series of important positions. He was a family member of Giulio II and was familiar with Paolo III and Clemente VII. The bishop of Volterra had relevant experience in the field of art and architecture: this aptitude well known in the humanistic circles he attended helped him to became the supervisor of the construction of St. Peter’s and a consultant for Villa Madama. In this articulated cultural context, Mario matured the idea of building his own palace in Volterra. There is no documented evidence to support any specific attribution for the palace project; one hypothesis attributes it to Baldassarre Peruzzi. The book draws a complex biographical profile of the prelate and traces the construction history of his city palace through a series of letters, most of which are unpublishedI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
