La Ghirlanda della contessa Angela Bianca Beccaria (1595) Stefano Guazzos Spätwerk und die Handlungsräume der Akademie

Abstract

Famous for his courtesy book La Civil Conversazione , Stefano Guazzo can also be seen as a precursor of Early Modern salon-culture. His final book, La Ghirlanda della contessa Angela Bianca Beccaria , provides a fascinating, yet nearly unknown example of the European art of conversation. Like other libri-mosaico (A. Quondam) in the 16th century, La Ghirlanda represents a distinct social space that is usually referred to as ‘accademia’. Based on a narrative dialogue about an aristocratic game, the book illustrates the dual nature of this space which needs to be carefully considered. The study of Guazzo’s writing contributes to a deeper understanding of how the academies connected their scholarly, ‘male’ tradition to their playful, ‘feminine’ face. La Ghirlanda creates a most interesting link between two spheres - aristocracy and the republic of letters - that demonstrates the cohesive power of literature.