PIETRO BEMBO


A poet and librarian born in Venice to an aristocratic family. His father Bernardo, an ambassador for the Republic of Venice who loved literature, took the young Pietro with him in many of his travels. During his career, we was the curator of the library of Ferrara, he was appointed Latin secretary to the Pope, and finally he became librarian of the Basilica di San Marco, in Venice. In Ferrara he had a love affair with the notorious Lucrezia Borgia, who was the wife of Alfonso d'Este. His poems were hugely popular at the time and widely set to music, usually performed by a female singer accompanied by a lute. He died in Rome and was buried in the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva.

Copyright © Alastair Fontana 2013

Georges de la Tour, Saint Jerome reading a letter, 1627