Varchi, Benedetto

VARCHI, BENEDETTO. - Historian, b. in Florence on 19 March 1503, d. there on 18 Dec. 1565. In Pisa he completed his studies in jurisprudence and, after returning to Florence several years later, was received by Duke Cosimo I de' Medici into his court.

Varchi's activity was varied; he translated from the classics, composed sonnets in imitation of Petrarch, and among these the pastoral and spiritual ones are noteworthy. Among his commemorative orations, the famous one is that on the death of Michelangelo. But above his other writings, predominantly humanistic, poetic and literary, rises the Storia Fiorentina, in 16 books, which treats events from 1527 to 1538. Varchi's history, necessarily restricted to a particularistic scope, was judged in various ways; it appeared to some a work of flattery toward the house of Cosimo de' Medici (given the unfavorable judgments on Clement VII and Duke Alessandro), to others an objective expression of an independent line of judgment.

Varchi's intention was to narrate events with «diligence and truth». The historian is careful in his choice of sources, even if the style appears diluted and prolix. Another important work of his is L'Ercolano in the form of a dialogue, in which the Florentine character of the Italian language is reaffirmed; rich in erudite comparisons and references.

Lanfranco Fiore