DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.36838#0016
X
PREFACE
to our knowledge. But the best and fullest bio-
graphy of Castiglione was that written in 1760 by
Abate Pietro Serassi, who bad access to the family
papers brought to Rome by Cardinal Valenti Gon-
zaga, secretary to Pope Benedict XIV., and who
afterwards published an interesting selection of letters
from the Count s public and private correspondence.
In our own days the most important work on the sub-
ject has been the biographical essay by Dr. Martinati,
whose excellent summary of Castiglione's life con-
tains forty-live hitherto unpublished letters.
Like most of his contemporaries, Count Baldassare
was an active correspondent, and his letters, both
private and official, are, as Ginguene remarked, not
only precious historic documents, but models of lucid
and graceful style, grave and animated, witty and
pathetic, by turns. Fortunately, a considerable portion
of his correspondence has been preserved. The
Valenti papers in the Vatican Library, Lorn which
Serassi drew most of his material, contain several
hundreds of letters, many of which are given for the
first time in my text, while a few of the originals are
printed in the Appendix. Another large collection
is to be found in the Gonzaga archives at Mantua,
where Castiglione s correspondence fills eight volumes
in the Biblioteca. Others are preserved in the
Oliveriana at Pesaro and in the Archives of Turin
and Florence. Many of these documents have been
published at different times by historical writers,
such as Dr. Pastor, Signor Luzio, Signor Contin,
Signor Feliciangeli, Signor Zannoni, and Signor
Vernazza di Freney. A considerable number are
to be found in a very rare work, ' Delle Esenzioni
della Famiglia di Castiglione/ published at Mantua
in 1780, as well as in pamphlets, now out of print, by
Professor Renier and Professor Vittore Cian. This
PREFACE
to our knowledge. But the best and fullest bio-
graphy of Castiglione was that written in 1760 by
Abate Pietro Serassi, who bad access to the family
papers brought to Rome by Cardinal Valenti Gon-
zaga, secretary to Pope Benedict XIV., and who
afterwards published an interesting selection of letters
from the Count s public and private correspondence.
In our own days the most important work on the sub-
ject has been the biographical essay by Dr. Martinati,
whose excellent summary of Castiglione's life con-
tains forty-live hitherto unpublished letters.
Like most of his contemporaries, Count Baldassare
was an active correspondent, and his letters, both
private and official, are, as Ginguene remarked, not
only precious historic documents, but models of lucid
and graceful style, grave and animated, witty and
pathetic, by turns. Fortunately, a considerable portion
of his correspondence has been preserved. The
Valenti papers in the Vatican Library, Lorn which
Serassi drew most of his material, contain several
hundreds of letters, many of which are given for the
first time in my text, while a few of the originals are
printed in the Appendix. Another large collection
is to be found in the Gonzaga archives at Mantua,
where Castiglione s correspondence fills eight volumes
in the Biblioteca. Others are preserved in the
Oliveriana at Pesaro and in the Archives of Turin
and Florence. Many of these documents have been
published at different times by historical writers,
such as Dr. Pastor, Signor Luzio, Signor Contin,
Signor Feliciangeli, Signor Zannoni, and Signor
Vernazza di Freney. A considerable number are
to be found in a very rare work, ' Delle Esenzioni
della Famiglia di Castiglione/ published at Mantua
in 1780, as well as in pamphlets, now out of print, by
Professor Renier and Professor Vittore Cian. This