The written culture and the "porpora": Fulvio Giulio della Corgna (1517-1583) between books, inscriptions and self-representation

Abstract

On the occasion of the recent commemorations of the fifth centenary of the birth of brothers Ascanio (1516) and Fulvio Giulio (1517) della Corgna, the present paper proposes to examine Cardinal Fulvio Giulio through an analysis of texts and physical volumes connected with him as author, patron or owner of books. Fulvio Giulio was not only an ecclesiastic but also an astute politician. In the period 1563-1583 he was co-regent of the marquisate of Castiglione del Lago e del Chiugi, a territory strategically located between Umbria and Tuscany. His ecclesiastical politics aimed above all at the implementation of the rules dictated by the Council of Trent. He was, however, also a man of refined culture, a patron of the arts, as shown by the imposing architecture and powerful iconographical programmes of his residences, testifying both to his exquisite taste and to his efficient and skillful self-representation. He also engaged in cultural dissemination through the establishment in Perugia of an episcopal seminary, to which he bequeathed his library. Today, due to poor documentation, it is hard to establish with certainty the quantity and quality of Fulvio Giulio’s libraries of manuscripts and printed books. However, some books, such as liturgical manuscripts commissioned or owned by him, proclamations (bandi) and printed statutes published by Fulvio Giulio and, last but not least, inscriptions connected with him provide material essential for reconstructing the Cardinal’s policy of self-representation.

Keywords

• Fulvio Giulio della Corgna, Cardinale di Perugia
• manoscritti
• scritture esposte
• cultura grafica