Chiaro Davanzati
Encyclopedia
Chiaro Davanzati was an Italian
poet from Florence
, one of the Siculo-Tuscan poets, who introduced the style of Sicilian School
to the Tuscan School. He was one of the most prolific Italian authors before Dante: at least 122 sonnet
s and sixty-one canzoni by Chiaro are known, many of them in tenzone with other poets. Only Guittone d'Arezzo
produced more lyrics in the thirteenth century.
The Davanzati were an elite family in Florence. Chiaro participated in the Battle of Montaperti
in 1260. There is some disagreement as to which of two known Chiaro Davanzatis of Florence might be the poet. One, Chiarus f. Davanzati pp. scte Marie Sopr' Arno, of Santa Maria sopr' Arno, was dead by 1280. Another, Clarus F. Davanzati Banbakai, was a Guelph
of San Frediano
. He served as captain of Or San Michele in 1294 and died between August 1303 and the spring of 1304. Both Chiaros were married and had children. The poet could not have been dead by 1280, for he composed a tenzone that can be dated to 1283.
Most of Chiaro's work is preserved in the chansonnier
Vaticano latino 3793. Topically his poetry is in the Sicilian and Occitan traditions. The chief poets whose influence can be detected are the troubadour
Rigaut de Berbezilh
and of the Sicilians Giacomo da Lentini
, Guido delle Colonne
, and Stefano Protonotaro. His style is light and easy (trobar leu
), and rich in simile
. His use of simile, much of it drawn from the Occitan troubadours and medieval bestiaries, has been criticised as dry, unpoetic, and overused. In the fourteenth century his reputation declined considerably, as his method of elaborating old lyrics fell out of favour. One of his images, however, that of a child at a mirror (come 'l fantin ca ne lo speglio smira), was used even in the Renaissance
. Kenneth McKenzie describes Chiaro's "style" as developing over time and containing widely divergent elements under opposing influences:
Though Chiaro has been placed with the guittoniani, followers of Guittone d'Arezzo, before, only in the canzone Valer voria s'io mai fui validore does Chiaro address Guittone directly. When deviating from the trobar leu into more difficult and complex construction he is usually conversing with guittoniani, such as Pallamidesse Bellindoti or Rinuccino, with Monte Andrea, his most common correspondent, or with Finfo del Buono. Chiaro had a correspondence with "Dante" according to the manuscripts, but this is regarded now as probably Dante da Maiano
, in 1283.
In Di penne di paone ("Of the peacock's feathers") Chiaro accused Bonagiunta Orbicciani
of plagiarising Giacomo da Lentini. In 1267 Chario composed Ahi dolze e gaia terra fiorentina to reprimand his fellow Florentines on the occasion of their surrendering of power to Charles I of Sicily, whom they made podestà
while the Ghibellines were sent into exile.
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
poet from Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, one of the Siculo-Tuscan poets, who introduced the style of Sicilian School
Sicilian School
The Sicilian School was a small community of Sicilian, and to a lesser extent, mainland Italian poets gathered around Frederick II, most of them belonging to his court, the Magna Curia. Headed by Giacomo da Lentini, they produced more than three-hundred poems of courtly love between 1230 and 1266,...
to the Tuscan School. He was one of the most prolific Italian authors before Dante: at least 122 sonnet
Sonnet
A sonnet is one of several forms of poetry that originate in Europe, mainly Provence and Italy. A sonnet commonly has 14 lines. The term "sonnet" derives from the Occitan word sonet and the Italian word sonetto, both meaning "little song" or "little sound"...
s and sixty-one canzoni by Chiaro are known, many of them in tenzone with other poets. Only Guittone d'Arezzo
Guittone d'Arezzo
Guittone d'Arezzo was a Tuscan poet and the founder of the Tuscan School. He was an acclaimed secular love poet before his conversion in the 1260s, when he became a religious poet. In 1256, he was exiled from Arezzo due to his Guelf sympathies....
produced more lyrics in the thirteenth century.
The Davanzati were an elite family in Florence. Chiaro participated in the Battle of Montaperti
Battle of Montaperti
The Battle of Montaperti was fought on September 4, 1260, between Florence and Siena in Tuscany as part of the conflict between the Guelphs and Ghibellines...
in 1260. There is some disagreement as to which of two known Chiaro Davanzatis of Florence might be the poet. One, Chiarus f. Davanzati pp. scte Marie Sopr' Arno, of Santa Maria sopr' Arno, was dead by 1280. Another, Clarus F. Davanzati Banbakai, was a Guelph
Guelphs and Ghibellines
The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in central and northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the split between these two parties was a particularly important aspect of the internal policy of the Italian city-states...
of San Frediano
San Frediano in Cestello
San Frediano in Cestello is a church in the Oltrarno section of Florence, Tuscany, Italy.The name cestello derives from the Cistercians who occupied the church in 1628. Previously the site had a 1450s church attached to the cloistered Carmelite convent of Santa maria degli Angeli.In 1680-1689, the...
. He served as captain of Or San Michele in 1294 and died between August 1303 and the spring of 1304. Both Chiaros were married and had children. The poet could not have been dead by 1280, for he composed a tenzone that can be dated to 1283.
Most of Chiaro's work is preserved in the chansonnier
Chansonnier
A chansonnier is a manuscript or printed book which contains a collection of chansons, or polyphonic and monophonic settings of songs, hence literally "song-books," although some manuscripts are so called even though they preserve the text but not the music A chansonnier is a manuscript or...
Vaticano latino 3793. Topically his poetry is in the Sicilian and Occitan traditions. The chief poets whose influence can be detected are the troubadour
Troubadour
A troubadour was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages . Since the word "troubadour" is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a trobairitz....
Rigaut de Berbezilh
Rigaut de Berbezilh
Rigaut de Berbezilh was a troubadour of the petty nobility of Saintonge. He was a great influence on the Sicilian School and is quoted in the Roman de la Rose...
and of the Sicilians Giacomo da Lentini
Giacomo da Lentini
Giacomo da Lentini, also known as Giàcumu da Lintini and Jacopo Notaro, was an Italian poet of the 13th century. He was a senior poet of the Sicilian School and was a notary at the court of the Holy Roman emperor Frederick II...
, Guido delle Colonne
Guido delle Colonne
Guido delle Colonne was an early 13th century Sicilian writer, living at Messina, who wrote in Latin...
, and Stefano Protonotaro. His style is light and easy (trobar leu
Trobar leu
The trobar leu , or light style of poetry, was the most popular style used by the troubadours. Its accessibility gave it a wide audience, though modern readers may find its somewhat formulaic nature tiresome after a while....
), and rich in simile
Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two different things, usually by employing the words "like", "as". Even though both similes and metaphors are forms of comparison, similes indirectly compare the two ideas and allow them to remain distinct in spite of their similarities, whereas...
. His use of simile, much of it drawn from the Occitan troubadours and medieval bestiaries, has been criticised as dry, unpoetic, and overused. In the fourteenth century his reputation declined considerably, as his method of elaborating old lyrics fell out of favour. One of his images, however, that of a child at a mirror (come 'l fantin ca ne lo speglio smira), was used even in the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
. Kenneth McKenzie describes Chiaro's "style" as developing over time and containing widely divergent elements under opposing influences:
. . . at one period of his activity Chiaro decked his verse in plumes borrowed from the Provençal and Sicilian poets and from Guittone d'Arezzo; but there is great variety in his work; we find political poems, realistic poems in popular style, attempts at philosophy, and finally indications of the influence of GuinizelliGuido GuinizelliGuido Guinizzelli , born in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, was an Italian poet and 'founder' of the Dolce Stil Novo...
and the dolce stil novoDolce Stil NovoDolce Stil Novo , or stilnovismo, is the name given to the most important literary movement of 13th century in Italy. Influenced by both Sicilian and Tuscan poetry, its main theme is Love . Gentilezza and Amore are indeed topoi in the major works of the period...
.
Though Chiaro has been placed with the guittoniani, followers of Guittone d'Arezzo, before, only in the canzone Valer voria s'io mai fui validore does Chiaro address Guittone directly. When deviating from the trobar leu into more difficult and complex construction he is usually conversing with guittoniani, such as Pallamidesse Bellindoti or Rinuccino, with Monte Andrea, his most common correspondent, or with Finfo del Buono. Chiaro had a correspondence with "Dante" according to the manuscripts, but this is regarded now as probably Dante da Maiano
Dante da Maiano
Dante da Maiano was a late thirteenth-century poet who composed mainly sonnets in Italian and Occitan. He was an older contemporary of Dante Alighieri and active in Florence....
, in 1283.
In Di penne di paone ("Of the peacock's feathers") Chiaro accused Bonagiunta Orbicciani
Bonagiunta Orbicciani
Bonagiunta Orbicciani, also called Bonaggiunta and Urbicciani , was an Italian poet of the Tuscan School, which drew on the work of the Sicilian School. His main occupation was as a judge and notary...
of plagiarising Giacomo da Lentini. In 1267 Chario composed Ahi dolze e gaia terra fiorentina to reprimand his fellow Florentines on the occasion of their surrendering of power to Charles I of Sicily, whom they made podestà
Podestà
Podestà is the name given to certain high officials in many Italian cities, since the later Middle Ages, mainly as Chief magistrate of a city state , but also as a local administrator, the representative of the Emperor.The term derives from the Latin word potestas, meaning power...
while the Ghibellines were sent into exile.
External links
- "Davanzati, Chiaro". (Archived 2009-10-31) Microsoft Encarta Enciclopedia Online (2008).
- Chiaro Davanzati's correspondence with Dante Alighieri
- Quando lo mar tempesta by Chiaro Davanzati