Gian Vittorio Rossi
Encyclopedia
Gian Vittorio Rossi, also known as Giano Nicio Eritreo, (1577–1647) was an Italian poet, philologist, and historian.
in jurisprudence
at La Sapienza and in 1603 became a member of the Accademia degli Umoristi. The subsequent misfortunes of his family forced him to enter the legal profession. He remained in a precarious financial position until he received an appointment as secretary to Cardinal Andrea Baroni Peretti Montalto in 1610. After the cardinal's death in 1628 Rossi retired to a small house on the Gianicolo in Rome which became the centre for a circle of his fellow intellectuals including Alessandro Tassoni
, Giovanni Ciampoli, Leone Allacci, Gabriel Naudé
, and Fabio Chigi (the future Pope Alexander VII
, whom Rossi called "Tyrrhenus). The image of Rossi that emerges from writings about him and from his own works is that of a cultured man, a meticulous philologist, and a tolerant thinker. His principal work, Pinacotheca Imaginum Illustrium containing three hundred short biographies of his contemporaries, both men and women, was one of the earliest examples of an Italian literary history, a genre which was to be developed in the 18th century by Ludovico Muratori
and Girolamo Tiraboschi
.
Biography
Rossi was born in Rome to a well-to-do family and lived his entire life in the city of his birth. He was educated by the Jesuits at the Collegio Romano distinguishing himself by his extraordinary command of Latin. At the age of 19 he received his laureaLaurea
In Italy, the laurea is the main post-secondary academic degree.-Reforms due to the Bologna process:Spurred by the Bologna process, a major reform was instituted in 1999 to introduce easier university degrees comparable to the bachelors...
in jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
at La Sapienza and in 1603 became a member of the Accademia degli Umoristi. The subsequent misfortunes of his family forced him to enter the legal profession. He remained in a precarious financial position until he received an appointment as secretary to Cardinal Andrea Baroni Peretti Montalto in 1610. After the cardinal's death in 1628 Rossi retired to a small house on the Gianicolo in Rome which became the centre for a circle of his fellow intellectuals including Alessandro Tassoni
Alessandro Tassoni
Alessandro Tassoni was an Italian poet and writer.- Life :He was born in Modena, to a noble family. In 1597, he began his service for the cardinal Colonna whom he followed to Spain. In 1603 he was back in Italy and moved to Rome.In 1612 he published anonymously the booklet Le Filippiche in which...
, Giovanni Ciampoli, Leone Allacci, Gabriel Naudé
Gabriel Naudé
Gabriel Naudé was a French librarian and scholar. He was a prolific writer who produced works on many subjects including politics, religion, history and the supernatural. An influential work on library science was the 1627 book Advice on Establishing a Library...
, and Fabio Chigi (the future Pope Alexander VII
Pope Alexander VII
Pope Alexander VII , born Fabio Chigi, was Pope from 7 April 1655, until his death.- Early life :Born in Siena, a member of the illustrious banking family of Chigi and a great-nephew of Pope Paul V , he was privately tutored and eventually received doctorates of philosophy, law, and theology from...
, whom Rossi called "Tyrrhenus). The image of Rossi that emerges from writings about him and from his own works is that of a cultured man, a meticulous philologist, and a tolerant thinker. His principal work, Pinacotheca Imaginum Illustrium containing three hundred short biographies of his contemporaries, both men and women, was one of the earliest examples of an Italian literary history, a genre which was to be developed in the 18th century by Ludovico Muratori
Ludovico Antonio Muratori
Ludovico Antonio Muratori was an Italian historian, notable as a leading scholar of his age, and for his discovery of the Muratorian fragment, the earliest known list of New Testament books....
and Girolamo Tiraboschi
Girolamo Tiraboschi
Girolamo Tiraboschi was an Italian literary critic, the first historian of Italian literature.-Biography:Born in Bergamo, he studied at the Jesuit college in Monza, entered the order, and was appointed in 1755 professor of eloquence in the University of Milan...
.
Works
- Dialogi: Convivium villae Syrorum; Quid in scriptore historiae requiretur; De tolerantia malorum, Parisiis : apud Iacobum Villery, in palatio sub porticu Delphinali, 1643
- Pinacotheca imaginum illustrium, doctrinae el ingenii laude, virorum, qui, auctore superstite, diemv suum obierunt, Coloniae Vbiorum : apud Iodocum Kalcovium & socios, (3 volumes) 1643-1648;
- Documenta sacra : Ex Euangeliis quae dominicis per annum & nonnullis aliis festis diebus leguntur in ecclesia, Coloniae Ubiorum : apud Iodocum Kalcovium & socios, 1645
- Eudemiae libri decem, Coloniae Vbiorum i.e. Leida : apud Iodocum Kalcouium & socios, 1645
- Exempla virtutum et vitiorum, Coloniae Vbiorum, i.e. Amsterdam : apud Iodocum Kalcovium et socios, 1645
- Opuscola spiritualia tria; I. Supplex libellus ad deum & B.V. matrem. II. Paradoxa christiana. III. Sermones de quatuor nouissimis, Coloniae Vbiorum : apud Iodocum Kalcouium & socios, 1648
- Dialogi septendecim, Coloniae Vbiorum i.e. Amsterdam : apud Iodocum Kalcouium & socios, (2 volumes) 1645-1649
- Epistolae ad diversos, Coloniae Vbiorum i.e. Amsterdam : apud Iodocum Kalcovium & socios, 1645-1649
- Orationes viginti duae, Coloniae Ubiorum : apud Iodocum Kalcovivum & Socios, 1649
- Epistolae ad tyrrhenum et ad diversos notis illustratae indice necessario auctoris vita et epistola priore editione haud comprehensa auctiores ac emendatiores editae a Io. Christiano Fischero..., Coloniae ubiorum : apud Iodocum Kalcovium, 1738
Sources
- Aikin, John (1813). "Rossi, Gian-Vittorio" in General biography: or, Lives, critical and historical, of the most eminent persons of all ages, countries, conditions, and professions,, Vol. 8, pp. 626-627. G. G. and J. Robinson.
- Doglio, Maria Luisa (1973). "Rossi, Gian Vittorio, detto Giano Nicio Eritreo (1577-1647)" in Vittore Branca (ed.), Dizionario critico della Letteratura Italiana, Vol. 3, pp. 252-253. Turin: UTET
- Gerboni, Luigi (1899). Un umanista nel Secento: Giano Nicio Eritreo. Città di Castello: Lapi
External links
- Works by and about Gian Vittorio Rossi on WorldCatWorldCatWorldCat is a union catalog which itemizes the collections of 72,000 libraries in 170 countries and territories which participate in the Online Computer Library Center global cooperative...