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Sigismondo Malatesta (Renaissance and Reformation)

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  1. Introduction
  2.  
  3. Sigismondo Malatesta (1417–1468), the Lord of Rimini, was renowned in the Renaissance as a brilliant condottiere, who used ingenious siege tactics and won pivotal victories for Pope Eugene IV (1431–1447) and the republic of Florence in 1448 and 1453. He was also a great patron of the arts and made Rimini into a vibrant center of Renaissance culture. The painter Piero della Francesca, the sculptor Agostino di Duccio, the medal-caster Matteo de’ Pasti, and the architect Leon Battista Alberti, among other artists, all embellished the Malatesta family church, San Francesco, which later became known as the Tempio Malatestiano. Sigismondo was extolled as an avid student of classical literature, especially Homer’s epics. He supported several humanists in his court, including Basinio of Parma, Tobia del Borgo, Roberto Orsi, Pandone de’ Pandoni (Porcellio), Pietro Parleo, and Roberto Valturio. He hosted debates on learned subjects in his castle, which was praised as a “wonder of the age” for its innovative defensive design. In 1458 Sigismondo became embroiled in a long quarrel over tithes and territory with Pope Pius II (1458–1464), who, after excommunication failed, performed a reverse canonization and enrolled Sigismondo among the devils in hell. Pius wrote and circulated a lengthy invective in which he condemned Sigismondo for unbridled lust and rape, blasphemy, atheism (epicureanism), paganism, and deification of his longtime consort and third wife Isotta degli Atti. Pius also accused Sigismondo of murdering his first two wives, Ginevra d’Este (1418–1440) by poison and Polissena Sforza (1428–1449) by strangulation. The negative character that the pope conjured in the invectives appealed to later writers, who presented Sigismondo as a violent, tormented lover rebelling against papal rule, including the Edwardian aesthete Edward Hutton and the modern poet Ezra Pound. On the battlefield Sigismondo was outnumbered and eventually lost to the papal allies. He had to give up most of his territory and was required to lead a crusade in the Morea, southern Greece, against the Turks (1464–1465). After some initial success, Sigismondo was forced to abandon the crusade and returned to Rimini, carrying the body of the infamous neopagan philosopher Plethon, which he entombed amid great scandal in the church of San Francesco. Pius’ successor, Pope Paul II (1464–1471), was wary of Sigismondo and kept him as a virtual prisoner in Rome until his death in 1468. During this time Sigismondo reportedly made plans to murder the pope with a hidden dagger and may have been involved in the so-called humanist conspiracy against the pope in February 1468.
  4.  
  5. Biographies
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  7. There is no standard modern biography of Sigismondo. Falcioni 2007 and Falcioni 1998 focus on institutional and economic history. Franceschini 1973 and Tabanelli 1977 offer more popular overviews that focus on political history. For cultural history, Battaglini 1794 is still essential, while Clementini 1969 is of limited use. D’Elia 2016 explores Sigismondo’s life in relation to the classical ideals in his court literature and art.
  8.  
  9. Battaglini, Francesco G. Della vita e de’ fatti di Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta. In Basini Parmensis poetae Opera praestantiora nunc primum edita et opportunis commentariis illustrata. Vol. 2. Edited by Angelo Battaglini, 257–699. Rimini, Italy: Albertiniana, 1794.
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  11. Battaglini tries to defend Sigismondo’s legacy against Pius’ accusations. There are footnoted sources, which makes this book an excellent resource. The text, however, is dense and crowded with excessive and mostly superfluous detail.
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  13. Clementini, Cesare. Raccolto istorico della fondatione di Rimini. Bologna, Italy: Forni, 1969.
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  15. Originally published 1617–1627. A history of Rimini by a local historian, structured around the biographies of Malatesta rulers. The lengthy chapter on Sigismondo is the earliest biography of Sigismondo. On the whole, Clementini is sympathetic and presents Sigismondo as heroic and learned. Although he draws on archival sources, there are no notes, and the archaic typescript makes reading a challenge.
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  17. D’Elia, Anthony F. Pagan Virtue in a Christian World: Sigismondo Malatesta and the Italian Renaissance. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2016.
  18. DOI: 10.4159/9780674088528Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  19. Explores Sigismondo’s political and public career in relation to the classical image and values promoted in the humanist literature and art that he commissioned.
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  21. Falcioni, Anna. La signoria di Sigismondo Malatesta. Vol. 1, L’Economia. Rimini, Italy: Bruno Ghigi, 1998.
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  23. Treasure trove of archival sources for the economic history of Sigismondo’s rule in Rimini. Contains an appendix of documents (pp. 173–290) that relate to infrastructure, private property, agriculture, condotte contracts, and commerce.
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  25. Falcioni, Anna, ed. La signoria di Sigismondo Malatesta. Vol. 2, La politica e le imprese militari. Rimini, Italy: Bruno Ghigi, 2006.
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  27. Articles relating to Sigismondo’s political and military career.
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  29. Falcioni, Anna. “Malatesta, Sigismondo Pandolfo.” Dizionario biografico degli italiani 68 (2007).
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  31. Good introduction. Focuses on political and economic history.
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  33. Franceschini, Gino. I Malatesta. Milan: Dall’Oglio, 1973.
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  35. General history of the Malatesta family. Few notes.
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  37. Tabanelli, Mario. Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta: Signore del medioevo e del rinascimento. Faenza, Italy: F. lli Lega, 1977.
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  39. General political biography with some notes.
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  41. Primary Sources
  42.  
  43. Although there are rich contemporary sources for Sigismondo, they are scattered and take on a variety of different forms, including archival records, literature, histories, poetry, papal invectives and denunciations, and art.
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  45. Documentary and Archival
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  47. For a full bibliography of available documentary sources, see Jones 1974 (cited under Political History and War with Pius II), which includes material for the entire Malatesta family, and Falcioni 2006 (cited under Relations with the Turks and Crusade in the Morea). In addition to Falcioni 1998 (cited under Biographies), both Tonini 1895–1896 and Tonini 1882 contain documents relevant to Rimini and Malatesta rule. Most are contractual and legalistic. The Cronaca malatestiana contains much information but in the form of a diary or chronicle mostly without narrative or elaboration. In aiming to produce a universal history, Broglio Tartaglia 1982, by the most important chronicler, contains more on the wider Italian political scene than on Sigismondo.
  48.  
  49. Broglio Tartaglia, Gaspare. Cronaca malatestiana del secolo XV. Edited by Antonio G. Luciani. Rimini, Italy: Bruno Ghigi, 1982.
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  51. Abbreviated history of the Malatesta family from Broglio’s much larger universal chronicle, which survives in manuscript: Rimini: Biblioteca Gambalunghiana, ms. segn. 1161. On this, see Daniel Bornstein, “History and Culture in a Provincial Centre: A Universal Chronicle from Renaissance Rimini,” Renaissance Studies 19.2 (2005): 143–149.
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  53. Cardinali, Cinzia. “Aspetti militari e diplomatici della signoria di Sigismondo Pandolfo attraverso le lettere malatestiane di Firenze.” In La signoria di Sigismondo Malatesta. Vol. 2, La politica e le imprese militari. Edited by Anna Falcioni, 361–407. Rimini, Italy: Bruno Ghigi, 2006.
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  55. Contains diplomatic letters exchanged between the Signoria of Florence and Sigismondo from 1433 to 1464.
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  57. Massèra, Aldo Francesco, ed. Cronaca malatestiana. Rerum Italicarum Scriptores 16.3. Bologna, Italy: Zanichelli, 1922.
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  59. Selections drawn from Malatesta chronicles by Tiberio Borghi, Baldo Branchi, and Gaspare Broglio.
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  61. Massèra, Aldo Francesco. “Il sequestro di un corriere diplomatico Malatestiano nel 1454.” La Romagna 1 (1928): 125–147.
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  63. Describes a trove of Malatesta correspondence captured near Siena in 1454. Includes letters to Matteo de’ Pasti and only accepted letter by Isotta degli Atti, published in Aldo Francesco Massera, “Amori e gelosie in una corte del Rinascimento (per una biografia d’Isotta da Rimini),” La Romagna 13 (1916): 61–72.
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  65. Rossi, Luigi. La Guerra in Toscana del 1447–8. Florence, 1903.
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  67. Contains nonliterary archival sources for the first Tuscan war, including some contracts and correspondence.
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  69. Rossi, Luigi. “I prodromi della guerra in Italia del 1452–53: I tiranni di Romagna e Federico da Montefeltro.” Atti e Memorie della r. deputazione di storia patria per le provincie delle Marche 3.1 (1906): 63–101, 103–124, 189–224, 279–305.
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  71. Contains nonliterary archival sources for the second Tuscan war, including some contracts and correspondence.
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  73. Tonini, Luigi. Della storia civile e sacra riminese. Vol. V, Rimini nella signoria de’ Malatesti. Rimini, Italy: Albertini, 1882.
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  75. Essential collection of archival sources consisting of two parts.
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  77. Tonini, Carlo. Compendio della storia di Rimini. Bologna, Italy: Renzetti, 1895–1896.
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  79. Multivolume collection of nonliterary primary sources.
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  81. Literary
  82.  
  83. Although no formal life of Sigismondo was written during his lifetime, much can be learned about him from other kinds of literary sources of the court, especially Valturio 1534, Basinio 1922, and Basinio 1794 (both cited under Poetry). Benzi and Pius II 1487, a lengthy invective, contains numerous vignettes that reveal specific actions and character traits. Bracciolini 1997, Cocchi 1449, and Parleo 1454 (Vita Homeri) include laudatory self-serving prefaces about Sigismondo’s erudite interests, whereas Manetti 1882 and Parleo 1453 (epithalamium) insert their praise within their narratives. Valturio 1534 does both.
  84.  
  85. Benzi, Andrea, and Pius II. “Discipula veritatis.” In Pii secundi Epistolae. Edited by Antonius de Zarotis, 66–105. Milan: Antonius Zarothus, 1487.
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  87. Although unremittingly negative, this invective is full of historical details relevant to Sigismondo’s life that are not found elsewhere. Should obviously be read with a critical eye.
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  89. Bracciolini, Poggio. “On the Misery of the Human Condition (1455).” In Cambridge Translations of Renaissance Philosophical Texts. Vol. 1, Moral Philosophy. Edited by Jill Kraye. Translated by Martin Davies, 17–28. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
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  91. Dedicated to Sigismondo. Poggio praises Sigismondo’s erudition in the dedication.
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  93. Cocchi, Giovanni (da Ferrara). De immortalitate animae. Biblioteca Casanatense cod 103, 1449.
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  95. Treatise on the immortality of the soul. In dedication, author explains that it is a synopsis of debate on the subject that Sigismondo hosted in Rimini in 1449.
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  97. Manetti, Giannozzo. “Orazione per la consegna del bastone di comando dell’esercito fiorentino (Vada, 30 settembre 1453).” In Commentario della vita di Messer Giannozzo Manetti. Vol. 2. Edited by Vespasiano da Bisticci, 203–228. Torino, Italy: Unione Tipografico-Editrice, 1882.
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  99. Vernacular oration in which the Florentine humanist praises the Malatesta family, military arts, and Sigismondo’s command in the second Tuscan war. Delivered in the field, when the baton of command was given to Sigismondo.
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  101. Parleo, Pietro. Petri Parleonis epithalamium in nuptiis Antonii Atti incipit foeliciter. Venice: Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana Marc. lat. XI 80 (3057): fols. 345v–346v, 1453.
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  103. Epithalamium for Isotta’s brother, in which author praises Sigismondo’s love for Isotta.
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  105. Parleo, Pietro. Vita Homeri. Florence: Biblioteca Laurenziana, MS LXIII, 30, 1454.
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  107. Parleo had studied under Filelfo and in Constantinople before returning to Rimini in 1453 as official Malatesta historiographer. He praises Sigismondo’s interest in Homer in the preface of this life of Homer that is mostly a much-abridged translation of the 2nd-century pseudo-Plutarchan Life of Homer.
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  109. Valturio, Roberto. De re militari (1455). Paris: Apud Christianum Wechelum, 1534.
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  111. Treatise on the art of war based on classical sources. Sigismondo and exploits sometimes are mentioned in discussions of the ideal commander and compared to Alexander and Caesar. Sigismondo sent a copy of the treatise to Sultan Mehmet II in 1461.
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  113. Poetry
  114.  
  115. Sigismondo was an active patron of poetry. Most of his court poetry, Basinio 1794, Pandone 1539, Palmario 1997, and Orsi 1200, focuses on his love affair with Isotta degli Atti. Basinio’s characterization of Sigismondo as an epistolary author and lover in the Liber Isottaeus (Basinio 1922) and as a warrior hero in the Hesperis (1455) (Basinio 1794) provides rich sources for Sigismondo’s public image. Biographical details rooted in fact are also presented in the Hesperis, albeit in heroic terms.
  116.  
  117. Basinio da Parma. “Hesperis (1455).” In Basini Parmensis Poetae opera praestantiora. Vol. 1. Edited by Angelo Battaglini, 1–288. Rimini, Italy: Albertiniana, 1794.
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  119. Neo-Latin epic starring Sigismondo. Thirteen books describe Sigismondo’s defense of Tuscany and liberation of Piombino in 1448; triumphs celebrated in Florence, Rome, and Venice; trip to the Underworld; and the second Tuscan war and siege of Vada in 1453. The poem reveals Sigismondo’s public image as a classical hero.
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  121. Basinio da Parma. Liber Isottaeus. Edited by Ferruccio Ferri. Città di Castello, Italy: Leonardo da Vinci, 1922.
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  123. Three books of epistolary poems exchanged among Sigismondo, Isotta degli Atti, and Basinio. Themes include love, life after death, and war.
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  125. Basinio da Parma. Astronomicon. Edited by M. De Luca, D. Frioli, and G. Mariani Canova. Rimini, Italy: Cassa di Risparmio di Rimini, 1994.
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  127. A poem about the zodiac signs, stars, and planets. Astronomical didactic observation with little astrology.
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  129. Campana, Augusto. “Poema Anti-Malatestiano di un umanista Spagnolo per Pio II.” In Atti del convegno storico piccoliminiano. By Augusto Campana, 188–218. Ancona, Italy: Il lavoro, 1965.
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  131. Invective poem from a curial source at the same time as Pius’ invective (1461), focusing on Sigismondo’s lust.
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  133. Malatesta, Sigismondo(?). Poems. Florence: Biblioteca Riccardiana, 1154.
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  135. Contains 14 poems under Sigismondo’s name. Generally accepted as the work of other poets.
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  137. Orsi, Roberto. Poems. Florence: Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale Magl. VII, 1200.
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  139. Mostly in vernacular, including several under Sigismondo’s name.
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  141. Palmario, Francesco. Rime. Edited by Nelia Cacace Saxby. Bologna, Italy: Commissione dei Testi di Lingua, 1997.
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  143. Collection of vernacular poems written for Sigismondo in the years 1445 to 1460. Themes stress court life: love, war, poetry, and art in Rimini. On this, see Nelia Saxby, “Within and Without Some Collections of North Italian Court Poetry of the Fifteenth Century. Italique 4 (2001).
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  145. Pandone, Porcellio. De amore Iovis in Isottam. In Trium poetarm elegantissimorum, Porcelii, Basinii, et Trebani opuscula. By Porcellio Pandone, 497–519. Paris: Simonem Colineum, 1539.
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  147. Thirteen epistolary poems exchanged among the classical gods and Isotta and Sigismondo. The theme is Jupiter’s passionate love for Isotta, which causes a war in Olympus, as most gods defend Sigismondo’s claim. Conclusion: Sigismondo enjoys Isotta while she is living, but Jupiter gets her after death when a goddess.
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  149. Political History and War with Pius II
  150.  
  151. Sigismondo’s war with Pope Pius II (1461–1463) and the pope’s unique reverse canonization of Sigismondo to hell (April 27, 1462) has been the focus of most Malatesta histories. An excellent historian in the positivist tradition, Soranzo 1911, reveals the broader political context and the groundless slander of most of the accusations in the invective in meticulous well-documented research. Gaeta 1978 (cited under Reverse Canonization and Papal Invectives) finds further sources for the papal invective and outlines in detail the papal procedures and the chronology of Pius’ character assassination of Sigismondo. Jones 1974, a succinct chapter on Sigismondo, is the best place to begin for the political context and events of Sigismondo’s dispute with Pius.
  152.  
  153. Delvecchio, Anita. “Il Principe-condottiero Sigismondo Pandolfo nel primo cinquantennio del quattrocento.” In La signoria di Sigismondo Malatesta. Vol. 2, La politica e le imprese militari. Edited by Anna Falcioni, 33–83. Rimini, Italy: Bruno Ghigi, 2006.
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  155. Early political history, including conflicts with Federico da Montefeltro.
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  157. Folin, Marco. “Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, Pio II e il Tempio malatestiano: La chiesa di san Francesco come manifesto politico.” In Il Tempio Malatestiano a Rimini. Vol. 2. Edited by Antonio Paolucci, 17–47. Modena, Italy: Franco Cosimo Panini, 2010.
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  159. Sees Malatesta cultural patronage as politically motivated and directly related to Sigismondo’s struggles with the popes over territory. Pagan themes seen as antipontifical. Author applies Alberti’s noted anitpapal leanings to his work on the Tempio.
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  161. Jones, Phillip J. The Malatesta of Rimini and the Papal State: A Political History. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1974.
  162. DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511583766Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  163. Includes an excellent chapter on Sigismondo (pp. 176–239). Jones’s research is meticulous, and his reconstruction of the political events and diplomatic relations in the war between Pius and Sigismondo is the best in English.
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  165. Mazzotti, Marco. “Aspetti e contesti della politica estera di Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesti.” In La signoria di Sigismondo Malatesta. Vol. 2: La politica e le imprese militari. Edited by Anna Falcioni, 203–268. Rimini, Italy: Bruno Ghigi, 2006.
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  167. Systematically examines Sigismondo’s relations with other Italian cities through family connections, matrimonial ties, culture, war, and diplomacy.
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  169. Soranzo, Giovanni. Pio II e la politica italiana nella lotta contro I Malatesti (1457–1463). Padua, Italy: Fratelli Drucker, 1911.
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  171. Excellent book with archival sources on the war with Pius II.
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  173. Soranzo, Giovanni. “La tragica sorte dello Stato di Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta.” In Studi malatestiani. Edited by Augusto Campana, 197–212. Faenza, Italy: Lega, 1952.
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  175. On the battle over Rimini mostly after Sigismondo’s death in 1468, involving Pope Paul II, Isotta, and Roberto Malatesta.
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  177. Reverse Canonization and Papal Invectives
  178.  
  179. Soranzo 1910 is the first critical reevaluation of the evidence behind Pius’ invectives against Sigismondo. Using positivist historical methods and numerous primary sources, the author shows both the propaganda value behind the accusations and their lack of substance. Gaeta 1978 adds a new source to Soranzo’s list and provides an up-to-date discussion of the black legend. Vauchez 2006 focuses specifically on the legal and theological meaning of the reverse canonization.
  180.  
  181. Gaeta, Franco. “La ‘leggenda’ di Sigismondo Malatesta.” In Studi malatestiani. Edited by Phillip J. Jones, 160–196. Rome: Istituto storico italiano per il medio Evo, 1978.
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  183. Excellent examination of Sigismondo’s black legend and Pius’ accusations. Contains a letter by Federico da Montefeltro from 1445 in which he accuses Sigismondo of many of the same crimes as Pius does in 1461.
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  185. Soranzo, Giovanni. “Un’invettiva della curia romana contro Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, Part I.” La Romagna 7 (1910): 462–489.
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  187. Also see Part 2, La Romagna 8 (1911): 150–175; and Part 3, La Romagna 8 (1911): 241–288. Systematic examination and dismissal of almost every charge against Sigismondo. Essential reading. Based on well-documented but previously unused archival sources.
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  189. Vauchez, Andre. “Pio II e la canonizzazione infernale di Sigismondo Pandolfo.” In La signoria di Sigismondo Malatesta. Vol. 2, La politica e le imprese militari. Edited by Anna Falcioni, 557–571. Rimini, Italy: Bruno Ghigi, 2006.
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  191. Reads canonization in the context of Renaissance demonology.
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  193. Relations with the Turks and Crusade in the Morea
  194.  
  195. In 1461, during the war with Pope Pius II, Sigismondo tried to contact and form an alliance with the Ottoman sultan Mehmet II. Soranzo 1909 and Bolognesi 2006 contain key correspondence and previously unknown details, while Babinger 1978 reveals the Ottoman perspective on the issue. As part of the terms of his surrender (1463), Sigismondo had to lead a crusade against the Turks in the Morea (1464–1466). Setton 1978 and Falcioni 2006 provide the documentation on this crusade.
  196.  
  197. Babinger, Franz. Mehemed the Conqueror and His Time. Revised, edited, and translated by Ralph Manheim. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1978.
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  199. The classic biography of the Ottoman sultan. Short but informative discussions of Sigismondo’s connections with the Turks.
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  201. Bolognesi, Stefania. “La Parabola discendente di Sigismondo Pandolfo: Dall’alleanza con gli Angioini alla guerra con Pio II.” In La signoria di Sigismondo Malatesta. Vol. 2, La politica e le imprese militari. Edited by Anna Falcioni, 129–144. Rimini, Italy: Bruno Ghigi, 2006.
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  203. Contains ample archival references, including Milanese documents on the affair with Mehmet II, which demonstrate Sigismondo’s explicit invitation for the Turk to come to Italy.
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  205. Falcioni, Anna. “Le ultime imprese militari di Sigismondo (1464–1468).” In La signoria di Sigismondo Malatesta. Vol. 2, La politica e le imprese militari. Edited by Anna Falcioni, 145–175. Rimini, Italy: Bruno Ghigi, 2006.
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  207. References and lengthy quotations from archival documents in Venice and Milan on Sigismondo’s crusade in the Morea.
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  209. Setton, Kenneth M. The Papacy and the Levant (1204–1571). Philadelphia: American Philosophical Association, 1978.
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  211. See especially pages 260–270. The best short, documented account of Sigismondo in the Morea. Abundant references and quotations from documents in the Vatican archives.
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  213. Soranzo, Giovanni. “Una missione di Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta a Maometto II nel 1461.” La Romagna 3.6 (1909): 3–17.
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  215. Excellent, well-documented article on the episode. In addition to Valturio’s treatise on the art of war, Sigismondo sent a map of the Adriatic to Mehmet II. Soranzo shows that after the first attempt failed, Sigismondo planned to send another servant to Constantinople to make an alliance.
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  217. Plethon, Paganism, and Sigismondo
  218.  
  219. While on crusade in the Morea, Sigismondo retrieved the body of the neopagan philosopher Plethon (1355–c. 1452) in Mistra and brought it back to Rimini, where he placed the corpse in a tomb on the side of San Francesco. The Patriarch of Constantinople, Gennadius, posthumously condemned Plethon and had most of his works destroyed. Only fragments remain of his magnum opus, the Laws.
  220.  
  221. Primary Sources
  222.  
  223. The sources that relate to Plethon and Sigismondo Malatesta are sparse, anecdotal, and inconclusive. Sigismondo probably heard about Plethon from Cyriac of Ancona (see Cyriac of Ancona 2003), who traveled to Greece and stayed with Plethon. Filelfo 1475 praises Sigismondo for inviting Plethon to Rimini. Monfasani 1976 contains a letter that George of Trebizond sent to Sigismondo on Plethon’s body. The encomium Plethon 1866 is interesting for is relationship to the Malatesta family.
  224.  
  225. Cyriac of Ancona. Later Travels (Letters and Diary). Edited and translated by Edward D. Bodnar. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003.
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  227. The antiquarian Cyriac of Ancona stayed in Mistra in 1447 for several months with Plethon, whom he called “the most learned of the Greeks of our time” (p. 299). On his return to Italy, Cyriac stayed in Rimini and told Sigismondo about Plethon.
  228. Find this resource:
  229. Filelfo, Giovanni Mario. Marii Philelfi epithalamion pro illustribus clarissimisque principibus Roberto Malatesta, Arimini domino, Elizabethaque Feretrana, illustris ducis Urbini Friderici filia, ab auctore habitum. Vatican City: Biblioteca, 1475.
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  231. Apostolica Vaticana Urb. Lat. 1183, fols. 1r–84v. 1475. In this epithalamium for Sigismondo’s son, Mario Filelfo claims that Sigismondo had invited Plethon to come and teach in Rimini.
  232. Find this resource:
  233. Monfasani, John. George of Trebizond: A Biography and a Study of His Rhetoric and Logic. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 1976.
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  235. Contains a letter of the Byzantine humanist George of Trebizond warning Sigismondo of God’s wrath if he did not throw away the body of the pagan Plethon.
  236. Find this resource:
  237. Plethon, Gemisthos. “Georgi Gemistii in dominam Cleopen divinissimi principis nostri uxorem oratio funebris.” In Patrologiae cursus completus: Series Graeca. Vol. 160. Edited by J. P. Migne, 939–952. Paris: J.-P. Migne, 1866.
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  239. Greek with Latin translation. Plethon’s funeral oration for Sigismondo’s cousin, Cleofe Malatesta in 1433, who had been married to Theodore II, the emperor of the Morea, and a student of Plethon.
  240. Find this resource:
  241. Secondary Sources
  242.  
  243. Scholarship on Plethon focuses on the extent of his paganism and his influence, especially on Italian humanists at the council of Florence in 1438. Masai 1956 gives all the credit to Plethon for the reintroduction of Plato to the West. Garin 1958 emphasizes the Italian humanist knowledge of Plato before Plethon’s arrival. Monfasani 1992 questions Plethon’s influence and the whole notion of a pagan revival. Woodhouse 1986 outlines Plethon’s ideas from his fragmentary writing and maps out his travels in Italy. Siniossoglou 2011 examines Plethon’s ideas in relation to Byzantine politics and reformist strategies. Only Ronchey 2003 and Ronchey 2006 have stressed Sigismondo and the Malatesta family as a central part of Plethon’s legacy.
  244.  
  245. Garin, Eugenio. Studi sul Platonismo Medievale. Florence: Felice Le Monnier, 1958.
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  247. Explores different foundations other than Plethon for Renaissance Platonism, partially in reaction to Masai 1956.
  248. Find this resource:
  249. Masai, Francois. Plethon et le Platonisme de Mistra. Paris: Les belles lettres, 1956.
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  251. Classic account of Plethon’s paganism, making Plethon the prime source for the reintroduction of Plato to the West.
  252. Find this resource:
  253. Monfasani, John. “Platonic Paganism in the Fifteenth Century.” In Reconsidering the Renaissance. Edited by M. A. di Cesare, 45–61. Binghamton, NY: Center for Medieval and Early Renaissance Studies, 1992.
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  255. Sober assessment of the extent of a pagan religious revival in the 15th century. In contrast to Masai, Monfasani points out that Plethon had no followers and there were few actual pagans.
  256. Find this resource:
  257. Ronchey, Silvia. “Giorgio Gemisto Pletone e i Malatesta.” In Sul ritorno di Pletone (un filosofo a Rimini). Edited by M. Neri, 11–24. Rimini, Raffaelli, 2003.
  258. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  259. The extent of our knowledge about Plethon’s relations with Sigismondo by a first-rate Byzantinist.
  260. Find this resource:
  261. Ronchey, Silvia. L’Enigma di Piero: L’Ultimo bizantino e la crociata fantasma nella rivelazione di un grande quadro. Milan: Rizzoli, 2006.
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  263. Although the subject is Piero della Francesca’s painting of the flagellation in Urbino, Ronchey explores the links between Sigismondo and Byzantium through Cleofe Malatesta, Sigismondo’s cousin, and the Malatesta presence in the Morea.
  264. Find this resource:
  265. Siniossoglou, Niketas. Radical Platonism in Byzantium: Illumination and Utopia in Gemistos Plethon. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
  266. DOI: 10.1017/CBO9781139003476Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  267. Best study of Plethon’s pagan, political, and philosophical ideas in the context of Byzantine thought. Little on Sigismondo.
  268. Find this resource:
  269. Woodhouse, Christopher M. George Gemistos Plethon: The Last of the Hellenes. Oxford: Clarendon, 1986.
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  271. Systematic study of Plethon’s thought and influence in Italy. Best introduction to Plethon and his works. Informative section on Council of Ferrara-Florence.
  272. Find this resource:
  273. The Castel Sismondo
  274.  
  275. Sigismondo’s first building project was the Castel Sismondo (1437–1444). Largely destroyed in the early 16th century, it was one of the wonders of quattrocento Italy. Valturio praises it at length for its innovative design and mass. Brunelleschi was in some way involved in construction. Upon completion, Sigismondo hosted a poetry contest in praise of the castle. Maffeo Vegio won, and his verses were inscribed on the façade (Parroni 2003). Piero della Francesca includes an image of the castle in a roundel in his fresco in San Francesco (Tempio Malatestiano); see Woods-Marsden 1989.
  276.  
  277. Castel Sismondo e Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta. Edited by Carla Tomasini Pietramellara and Angelo Turchini. Rimini, Italy: Ghigi, 1985.
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  279. Articles on topics such as Brunelleschi and other possible architects, reception and later uses of the castle, medals and ceramics found during restorations, and inventories detailing contents. Quotations and references from archival sources and illustrations.
  280. Find this resource:
  281. Castel Sismondo, Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta e l’arte militare del primo rinascimento. Edited by Angelo Turchini. Cesena, Italy: Ponte Vecchio, 2003.
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  283. Contains articles on all aspects of the Castello from design and construction to literary images and restorations.
  284. Find this resource:
  285. Palloni, Dino. “I castelli di Sigismondo.” In Il Potere, le arti, la Guerra: Lo splendore dei Malatesta. By Dino Palloni, 89–96. Milan: Electa, 2001.
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  287. Succinct reading of the Castel Sismondo in relation to other Malatesta castles (Fano, Sasso di Verucchio, Santarcangelo).
  288. Find this resource:
  289. Parroni, Piergiorgio. “I castelli nella letteratura umanistica e cortigiana.” In Castel Sismondo, Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta e l’arte militare del primo rinascimento. Edited by Angelo Turchini, 325–336. Cesena, Italy: Il Ponte Vecchio, 2003.
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  291. Literary celebrations of the Castel and other castles.
  292. Find this resource:
  293. Woods-Marsden, Joanna. “Images of Castles in the Renaissance: Symbols of “Signoria”/Symbols of Tyranny.” Art Journal 48.2 (1989): 130–137.
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  295. Discusses the Castel Sismondo, Piero’s image of it, and its promotion and role as a sign of Sigismondo’s uncontested lordship over Rimini.
  296. Find this resource:
  297. Cultural and Artistic Patronage
  298.  
  299. Most scholarship on Sigismondo focuses on his reconstruction of San Francesco and his patronage of the architect Leon Battista Alberti, the sculptor Agostino di Duccio, and the painter Piero della Francesca. The humanist literature and the classically inspired reconstruction of the church of the Tempio Malatestiano in Rimini were all created in less than a decade (c. 1448–1458). The bulk of his patronage starts after his victory in the First Tuscan War (1448), and the triumphal theme unsurprisingly dominates from Basinio’s Hesperis epic to Alberti’s use of the triumphal arch design for the facade of the Tempio and Agostino’s various triumphal depictions of Sigismondo inside the church. See Scapecchi 1986 (cited under Tempio Malatestiano (San Francesco): Architecture), Turchini 2000 (cited under Tempio Malatestiano (San Francesco), and Donati 2010 (cited under Humanist Culture: Other Malatesta Humanists).
  300.  
  301. Ettlinger, Helen. “The Image of a Renaissance Prince: Sigismondo Malatesta and the Arts of Power.” PhD diss., University of California, 1988.
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  303. A survey of Sigismondo’s art patronage and cultural self-promotion. Although it contains inaccuracies and lacks detail, it is a useful survey.
  304. Find this resource:
  305. Il Potere, le arti, la Guerra: Lo splendore dei Malatesta. Milan: Electa, 2001.
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  307. Exhibition catalogue, containing several short articles about Sigismondo, art, and the culture of war in Rimini.
  308. Find this resource:
  309. Lavin, Marilyn Aronberg. “Piero della Francesca’s Fresco of Sigismondo Pandolfȯ Malatesta before St. Sigismund: ΘΕΩΙΑΘΑΝΑΤΩΙ ΚΑΙ ΤΗΙ ΠΟΛΕΙ.” The Art Bulletin 56.3 (1974): 345–374.
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  311. Questions the idea that the fresco was a commemoration of Emperor Sigismund’s visit and conferral of knighthood on Sigismondo in 1433. Lavin downplays this interpretation and argues that the painting is an expression of Sigismondo’s devotion to God and the city of Rimini.
  312. Find this resource:
  313. Pächt, Otto. “Giovanni da Fano’s Illustrations for Basinio’s Epos Hesperis.” In Studi malatestiani. Edited by Augusto Campana, 91–111. Faenza, Italy: Lega, 1952.
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  315. Useful catalogue and comparison chart of the illustrations in the three extant manuscripts of the Hesperis.
  316. Find this resource:
  317. Pernis, Maria Grazia, and Laurie Adams. Federico da Montefeltro & Sigismondo Malatesta: The Eagle and the Elephant. New York: Peter Lang, 2003.
  318. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  319. Comparison of the patronage of Federico da Montefetro and Sigismondo Malatesta.
  320. Find this resource:
  321. Woods-Marsden, Joanna. “How Quattrocento Princes Used Art: Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta of Rimini and Cose Militari.” Renaissance Studies 3.4 (1989): 387–414.
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  323. Explores Sigismondo’s early and original use of medals to promote his rule. Unusually for the time and not found in Classical examples, Sigismondo had images of his castle and his lover Isotta d’Atti cast on medals, which he both distributed to other rulers and buried in the foundations of his castle and the church of San Francesco.
  324. Find this resource:
  325. Tempio Malatestiano (San Francesco)
  326.  
  327. The renovation of the church of San Francesco is by far the most famous example of the Renaissance in Rimini. Its triumphal architecture and complex decorative scheme inside reveal the many facets of Sigismondo’s interests and public image. From his humanists buried in tombs on the side of the church to Isotta’s tomb inside surrounded by musical angels and Sigismondo’s own ubiquitous image and insignia, including an entire chapel dedicated to his astrological birth sign, the church encapsulates the Malatesta court. Although prone to Romantic overinterpretation, Ricci 1924 was the first attempt at a systematic study of the art in the Tempio. Stokes 2002 (originally published in 1934) is more of an interpretative essay than a scholarly analysis. Turchini 2000 is an exhaustive survey of the humanistic issues in the Tempio but lacks quality images and is in need of editorial work. The larger format Pasini 2000 relies on excellent detailed images of sculpture and architecture in a much more succinct survey. Templum Mirabile (2003) is a useful catalogue containing articles mainly concerned with the interior. Paolucci 2010 offers the best photographic survey of the Tempio to date.
  328.  
  329. Il Tempio Malatestiano a Rimini. 2 vols. Edited by Antonio Paolucci. Modena, Italy: Franco Cosimo Panini, 2010.
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  331. One volume contains articles by different authors on the architecture and sculpture and the other excellent photographs that systematically show every part of the church, outside and inside. It is the best available resource for illustrations.
  332. Find this resource:
  333. Pasini, Pier Giorgio. Il Tempio Malatestiano: splendore cortese e classicism umanistico. Milan: Skira, 2000.
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  335. Glossy book with excellent photographs, including striking details. Seventy-eight pages on most aspects and issues related to Sigismondo and the Tempio. Contains useful “Cronologia” with quotations from documents related to the Tempio (from 914 to 1528) by Oreste Delucca.
  336. Find this resource:
  337. Ricci, Corrado. Il Tempio Malatestiano. Milan and Rome: Bestetti & Tumminelli, 1924.
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  339. Republished in 1974 by Bruno Ghigi with an appendix by Pier Giorgio Pasini. The black-and-white photographs are essential sources for the church interior before the bombing damage during World War II and the subsequent reconstruction. Romantic reading of church. Useful historiographical appendix on Tempio scholarship from 1924 to 1974.
  340. Find this resource:
  341. Stokes, Adrian. The Quattrocento and The Stones of Rimini. University Park: Penn State University Press, 2002,
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  343. Originally published in 1934. The eccentric British art critic saw water as the overriding theme: “The Tempio Malatestiano at Rimini is an ideal quarry whose original organic substances were renewed by the hand of the carver to express the abundant sea collected into solid stone” (p. 43).
  344. Find this resource:
  345. Templum Mirabile: Atti del convegno sul Tempio Malatestiano. Edited by Marco Musmeci. Rimini, Italy: Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Rimini, 2003.
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  347. Conference catalogue containing several articles related to the Tempio.
  348. Find this resource:
  349. Turchini, Angelo. Il Tempio Malatestiano, Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta e Leon Battista Alberti. Cesena, Italy: Il Ponte Vecchio, 2000.
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  351. Great resource and useful summary of the scholarship on every aspect of the Tempio. An appendix reproduces all the primary sources relevant to the church.
  352. Find this resource:
  353. Architecture
  354.  
  355. Mancini 1911, Cassani 2005, and Bulgarelli 2010 provide detailed surveys on Alberti’s designs for the exterior architecture. Muccioli 2003, which examines the two Greek inscriptions, Ettlinger 1990, which deals with the original designs for the facade, and Scapecchi 1986, which treats the original design for a dome all offer new interpretations to specific problems of design. Hope 1992 is an exhaustive study of all the available evidence on the Tempio’s conception and early designs. That work is especially important for dating.
  356.  
  357. Bulgarelli, Massimo. “L’Architettura.” In Il Tempio Malatestiano a Rimini. Vol. 2. Edited by Antonio Paolucci, 49–121. Modena, Italy: Franco Cosimo Panini, 2010.
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  359. Exhaustive survey of the Tempio’s architecture; possible models, such as the arch of Augustus and elements in Ferrara, Venice, and Rome; and main scholarly issues, including authorship and Alberti’s complicated role, the exterior tombs, and the design for the unfinished cupola.
  360. Find this resource:
  361. Cassani, Alberto Giorgio. “Alberti a Rimini: Il Tempio della buona e della cattiva fortuna.” In Leon Battista Alberti Architetto. Edited by Giorgio Grassi and Luciano Patetta, 153–209. Florence: Scala, 2005.
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  363. Good, succinct treatment of open questions and main issues, including when Sigismondo first met Alberti, paganism, plans for transept and dome, and neoplatonism. Best introduction to complex issues relating to Alberti and the Tempio.
  364. Find this resource:
  365. Ettlinger, Helen. “The Sepulchre on the Facade: A Re-Evaluation of Sigismondo Malatesta’s Rebuilding of San Francesco in Rimini.” Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 53 (1990): 133–143.
  366. DOI: 10.2307/751343Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  367. Argues that the façade of the Tempio was meant to house the tomb of Sigismondo’s half-brother, the Blessed Galeotto Roberto (b. 1411), and that Sigismondo originally wanted the church to become a site for Christian pilgrimage.
  368. Find this resource:
  369. Hope, Charles. “The Early History of the Tempio Malatestiano.” Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 55 (1992): 51–154.
  370. DOI: 10.2307/751420Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  371. Excellent, well-documented account of the different designs for Sigismondo’s transformation of San Francesco. Among other reassessments, Hope takes issue with Ettlinger’s tomb argument for the façade of the church, citing measurement issues and decorative inconsistency.
  372. Find this resource:
  373. Mancini, Girolamo. Vita di Leon Battista Alberti. 2d ed. Florence: G. Carnesecchi e Figli, 1911.
  374. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  375. Includes extensive section on Sigismondo’s patronage with excellent primary sources.
  376. Find this resource:
  377. Muccioli, Federicomaria. “Le epigrafie gemelle in lingua greca del Tempio Malatestiano.” In Templum Mirabile: Atti del convegno sul Tempio Malatestiano. Edited by Marco Musmeci, 73–85. Rimini, Italy: Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Rimini, 2003.
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  379. Examines the twin Greek inscriptions on the side of the Tempio. Argues that Basinio was the author of the inscriptions.
  380. Find this resource:
  381. Scapecchi, Piero. “Victoris imago: Problemi relativi al Tempio Malatestiano.” Arte cristiana 74 (1986): 155–164.
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  383. Stresses the role of Giannozzo Manetti in forming the triumphal theme in the Tempio and Sigismondo’s public image and suggests a dome design for the Tempio by Filippo Brunelleschi.
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  385. Internal Decorations
  386.  
  387. Scholarship on the interior of the Tempio focuses on Agostino di Duccio’s sculptures. Pope-Hennessy 1958 and Campigli 2010 see the work in the Tempio in the context of Agostino’s other sculptures before and after his stay in Rimini and the meaning of the exceptionally abundant pagan imagery within. Kokole 1997 and Kokole 2004 use the Latin poetry of Sigismondo’s court to interpret the erudite meanings behind Agostino’s sculptural designs. Volpe 2010 tries to reconstruct the earlier decorative scheme of the church ascribed to Giotto.
  388.  
  389. Anderson, Jaynie. “Il Risveglio dell’Interesse per le Muse nella Ferrara del Quattrocento.” In Le Muse e il Principe: Arte di Corte nel Rinascimento Padano. Vol. 2. Edited by A. Mottola Molfino and M. Natale, 165–186. Modena, Italy: F. C. Panini, 1991.
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  391. Discusses the literary sources for the Chapel of the Liberal Arts (Muses) and how the program was largely based on Guarino of Verona’s instructions for Leonello d’Este’s chapel in Ferrara and information supplied by Poggio Bracciolini concerning the depiction of Sibyls in Palazzo Orsini, Rome.
  392. Find this resource:
  393. Campigli, Marco. “A Rimini e altrove: Il percorso giovanile di Agostino di Duccio.” In Il Tempio Malatestiano a Rimini. Vol. 2. Edited by Antonio Paolucci, 123–136. Modena, Italy: Franco Cosimo Panini, 2010.
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  395. Chronological survey of Agostino’s works leading up to and immediately after his sculptures in the Tempio. Looks at stylistic growth from sculptures in the round in Saint Sigismund chapel to linear reliefs of angel musicians in chapel of Isotta, which defined the entire church program.
  396. Find this resource:
  397. Kokole, Stanko. “Agostino di Duccio in the Tempio Malatestiano, 1449–1457: Challenges of Poetic Invention and Fantasies of Personal Style.” 2 vols. PhD diss., Johns Hopkins University, 1997.
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  399. The best monograph on Agostino di Duccio and the iconography, interpretation, and classical literary sources of the sculptures in the Tempio.
  400. Find this resource:
  401. Kokole, Stanko. “The Tomb of the Ancestors in the Tempio Malatestiano.” In Drawing Relationships in Northern Italian Renaissance Art: Patronage and Theories of Invention. Edited by Giancarla Periti, 11–34. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate, 2004.
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  403. Finds the iconography of the Tomb of the Ancestors in classical poetry and the Latin poetry of Basinio.
  404. Find this resource:
  405. Pope-Hennessy, John. Italian Renaissance Sculpture; An Introduction to Italian Sculpture. Vol. 2. New York: Vintage, 1958.
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  407. The classic study on Agostinio di Duccio’s sculpture. Five pages on Agostino’s work in the Tempio.
  408. Find this resource:
  409. Volpe, Alessandro. “Giotto a Rimini.” In Il Tempio Malatestiano a Rimini. Vol. 2. Edited by Antonio Paolucci, 145–156. Modena, Italy: Franco Cosimo Panini, 2010.
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  411. Reconstructs the decorative scheme of San Francesco before renovations under Sigismondo, focusing on Giotto’s lost paintings, of which only a monumental crucifix survives. Author examines other paintings at the time to explore possible subjects, including the story of Saint Francis, Saint Nicholas, and other saints.
  412. Find this resource:
  413. Pagan Themes
  414.  
  415. Scholars have been obsessed by the meaning of the pagan imagery in the Tempio since Pope Pius (1463) condemned the church as being “so full of pagan works of art that it seemed less a Christian sanctuary than a temple where heathens might worship demons” (Pius II 2003, cited under Isotta degli Atti, pp. 328–329). Pagan gods and goddesses, muses, putti, and sibyls dramatically outnumber Christian or biblical imagery. The earlier scholarship on this issue—Seznec 1953, Mitchell 1951, and Mitchell 1978—see the decorative scheme as evidence of a pagan religious revival and Sigismondo’s own pagan beliefs. More recent works, including Meldini and Pasini 1983, Kokole 1996, Bertozzi 2003, and Bertozzi 2010, have focused on finding ancient and Renaissance literary and philosophical sources for the iconography of the Chapel of the Planets and other pagan imagery in the Tempio.
  416.  
  417. Bertozzi, Marco. “Segni, simboli, visioni: il Tempio Malatestiano e i suoi enigmi.” In Templum Mirabile: Atti del convegno sul Tempio Malatestiano. Edited by Marco Musmeci, 151–165. Rimini, Italy: Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Rimini, 2003.
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  419. Same argument and sources as Bertozzi 2010, on same theme, but with more focus on Plethon and the Council of Ferrara-Florence.
  420. Find this resource:
  421. Bertozzi, Marco. “La vita postuma degli antichi dei nel tempio di Alberti e Sigismondo.” In Il Tempio Malatestiano a Rimini. Vol. 2. Edited by Antonio Paolucci, 137–144. Modena, Italy: Franco Cosimo Panini, 2010.
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  423. Most recent summary of issues and sources for pagan themes in Chapel of the Planets. Drawing on Macrobius and Porphyry and following Warburg, Seznec, and Mitchell, the author sees Sigismondo’s birth sign (Cancer) in astrological decorations of the chapel, vividly shown in the relief of a crab over Rimini’s skyline.
  424. Find this resource:
  425. Kokole, Stanko. “Cognitio formarum and Agostino di Duccio’s Reliefs for the Chapel of the Planets in the Tempio Malatestiano.” In Quattrocento Adriatico: Fifteenth-Century Art of the Adriatic Rim. Edited by Charles Dempsey, 177–206. Bologna, Italy: Nuova Alfa, 1996.
  426. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  427. Classical literature used to illuminate Agostino’s sculptures. Based on author’s 1997 dissertation. Explores the meaning of Valturio’s assertion that Agostino’s sculptures please both by their “craftsmanship” and by their “forms,” which term, the author argues, refers to humanist knowledge of classical texts and mythology.
  428. Find this resource:
  429. Meldini, Piero, and Pier Giorgio Pasini. La Cappella dei Pianeti del Tempio Malatestiano. Milan: Amilcare Pizzi, 1983.
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  431. Authors examine Agostino di Duccio’s zodiac reliefs in relation to a contemporary astrological manual and astrological beliefs of the time. Sources for each sign conveniently paired with each zodiac relief.
  432. Find this resource:
  433. Mitchell, Charles. “The Imagery of the Tempio Malatestiano.” Studi Romagnoli 2 (1951): 77–90.
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  435. Classic article on the importance of Macrobius for decorative themes in the Tempio.
  436. Find this resource:
  437. Mitchell, Charles. “Il Tempio Malatestiano.” In Studi malatestiani. Edited by Phillip J. Jones, 71–103. Rome: Istituto storico italiano per il medio Evo, 1978.
  438. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  439. Mitchell adjusts his earlier argument by emphasizing the sun imagery in the Tempio and proposing that the iconography centers on identifying Sigismondo with Apollo.
  440. Find this resource:
  441. Seznec, Jean. The Survival of the Pagan Gods: The Mythological Tradition and its Place in Renaissance Humanism and Art. Translated by Barbara F. Sessions. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1953.
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  443. A few famous pages on the Tempio. Author sees the sculptural iconography as an example of the revival of interest in pagan gods.
  444. Find this resource:
  445. Other Aspects
  446.  
  447. Sigismondo Malatesta’s political and financial problems in the late 1450s caused all construction work on the Tempio to stop. Among other parts, the facade was left incomplete. Turchini 2010 details the minor changes made to the church after Sigismondo’s death until the Second World War, when in late 1943 and early 1444 the Tempio was bombed. The roof and apse caved in and the chapels of the Planets, the Muses, and the Children Playing sustained serious trauma. Turchini 1998 and Muscolino 2010 document the restoration work.
  448.  
  449. Muscolino, Cetty. “Restauri al Tempio Malatestiano.” In Il Tempio Malatestiano a Rimini. Vol. 2. Edited by Antonio Paolucci, 165–183. Modena, Italy: Franco Cosimo Panini, 2010.
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  451. Outlines, with before and after illustrations, restorations made to the church in the 20th century, especially after the bombing during the Second World War.
  452. Find this resource:
  453. Turchini, Angelo. Il Tempio distrutto: Distruzione, restauro, anastilosi del Tempio malatestiano: Rimini 1943–1950. Rimini, Italy: Il Ponte Vecchio, 1998.
  454. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  455. Timeline and documentation on the elaborate restorations made to the Tempio after the Second World War.
  456. Find this resource:
  457. Turchini, Angelo. “Le trasformazioni del Tempio Malatestiano dalla morte di Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta alla seconda guerra mondiale (1468–1943): Appunti preliminari.” In Il Tempio Malatestiano a Rimini. Vol. 2. Edited by Antonio Paolucci, 161–164. Modena, Italy: Franco Cosimo Panini, 2010.
  458. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  459. Outlines various minor alterations and additions to chapels (Madonna dell’acqua, Cella delle reliquie) and walls after Sigismondo’s death in 1468.
  460. Find this resource:
  461. Humanist Culture
  462.  
  463. Sigismondo cultivated an image of himself as a learned Maecenas who appreciated Latin and Greek poetry and hosted philosophical debates. His court was a hotbed of Greek and Latin culture, featuring such humanists as Roberto Valturio, Basinio, Porcellio, Tommaso da Seneca, and Pietro Parleo. Sigismondo appears at one time presiding over a debate about the nature of the soul (D’Elia 2016) and at another on the value of the Greek language (Ferri 1920, cited under Humanist Culture: Other Malatesta Humanists). Francesco Filelfo, Poggio Bracciolini, and other famous humanists tried to win Sigismondo’s patronage by dedicating works to him. Older scholarship, such as Battaglini 1794 and Tonini 1884, document the numerous humanists at Sigismondo’s court. More recent scholarship has explored Sigismondo’s military education (Settia 1985), his library holdings (Mazzatinti 1901), and philosophical interests (Montanari 2006 and Vasoli 2006). Zanoli 2003 is a poem in praise of Sigismondo, penned by an accused conspirator against Pope Paul II. This added evidence for Sigismondo’s possible involvement. D’Elia 2016 is a biography based on the Latin humanist poetry and treatises that Sigismondo commissioned.
  464.  
  465. Battaglini, Angelo. Della corte letteraria di Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta. In Basini Parmensis poetae Opera praestantiora nunc primum edita et opportunis commentariis illustrata. Vol. 2. Edited by Angelo Battaglini, 43–255. Rimini, Italy: Albertiniana, 1794.
  466. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  467. Old but essential sources quoted in notes.
  468. Find this resource:
  469. D’Elia, Anthony F. Pagan Virtue in a Christian World: Sigismondo Malatesta and the Italian Renaissance. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2016.
  470. DOI: 10.4159/9780674088528Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  471. Explores Sigismondo’s political and public career in relation to the classical image and values promoted in the humanist literature and art that he commissioned.
  472. Find this resource:
  473. Mazzatinti, Giuseppe. “La Biblioteca di San Francesco (Tempio Malatestiano) in Rimini.” In Scritti vari di Filologia in Onore di Ernesto Monaci. 345–352. Rome: Forzani, 1901.
  474. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  475. A 1560 catalogue of the books in the Malatesta library, Rimini. Although significantly later than Sigismondo, the catalogue contains 15th-century manuscripts that reveal court interests.
  476. Find this resource:
  477. Montanari, Antonio. “Sigismondo filosofo umanista.” In La signoria di Sigismondo Malatesta. Vol. 2, La politica e le imprese militari. Edited by Anna Falcioni, 321–339. Rimini, Italy: Bruno Ghigi, 2006.
  478. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  479. Surveys the humanist and philosophical culture in Sigismondo’s court, including the Tempio sculptures, Plethon, and humanists.
  480. Find this resource:
  481. Settia, Aldo A. “‘De re militari’: Cultura bellica nelle corti emiliane prima di Leonardo e di Machiavelli.” In Le Sedi della cultura nell’Emilia Romagna: Epoca delle signorie, le corti. Edited by Giorgio Chittolini, 65–89. Milan: Silvana, 1985.
  482. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  483. Although a survey, refers to Sigismondo as an example of military culture and education in northern Italian courts.
  484. Find this resource:
  485. Tonini, Carlo. La coltura letteraria e scientifica in Rimini dal secolo XIV ai primi del XIX. Vol. I. Rimini, Italy: Danesi-Albertini, 1884.
  486. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  487. Brief biographies of literary men and scholars in Rimini.
  488. Find this resource:
  489. Vasoli, Cesare. “Dalle armi alle lettere ed alla ‘prisca sapientia’: I due Malatesta.” In Il Dono di Malatesta Novello. Edited by Loretta Righetti and Daniela Savoia, 29–44. Cesena, Italy: Il Ponte Vecchio, 2006.
  490. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  491. Looks at the role of arms, letters, and ancient philosophy in the patronage of Sigismondo and his younger brother Malatesta Novello.
  492. Find this resource:
  493. Zanoli, Anna. “Callimaco a Sigismondo Malatesti.” In Templum Mirabile: Atti del convegno sul Tempio Malatestiano. Edited by Marco Musmeci, 289–301. Rimini, Italy: Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Rimini, 2003.
  494. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  495. On a poem written for Sigismondo by the leader of the so-called humanist conspiracy against Pope Paul II in 1468. Explores the evidence of Sigimondo’s involvement in the affair.
  496. Find this resource:
  497. Basinio da Parma
  498.  
  499. Basinio (1425–1457) was easily the best and most accomplished poet in Sigismondo’s court. He studied under Vittorino da Feltre in Mantua and Guarino and Theodore Gaza in Ferrara before coming to Rimini in 1449. Although he died young, he produced some of the best Latin poetry of the 15th century. Because of his expertise in Homeric Greek, Pope Nicholas V asked him to translate the Iliad into Latin. He declined and instead wrote his own Homeric epic in classical Latin about Sigismondo, the Hesperis. Bottari 2000 examines aspects of Homer’s Odyssey in the Hesperis; Zabughin 1921–1923 places the Hesperis in the context of other imitators of Virgil in the Renaissance. Resta 1981 and Coppini 2003 focus on Basinio’s minor works and their classical models. Ferri 1914 and Campana 1965 are the best biographies. Ferri 1914 includes many short poems and letters.
  500.  
  501. Bottari, Guglielmo. “L’Ulisse di casa Malatesta. A proposito dell’Hesperis di Basinio Basini.” In Ulisse da Omero a Pascal Quignard: Convegno Internazionale, Verona, 25–27 maggio 2000. Edited by Anna Maria Babbi and Francesca Zardini, 253–273. Verona, Italy: Fioroni, 2000.
  502. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  503. Examines passages in the Hesperis that Basinio appropriated from Homer’s Odyssey.
  504. Find this resource:
  505. Campana, Augusto. “Basinio da Parma.” Dizionario biografico degli italiani 7 (1965): 89–98.
  506. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  507. Great for factual references about his life and bibliography. Summary of debate over the authorship of the Liber Isottaeus. Author argues that Basinio finished and revised the Latin epistolary love poems after the poet Tobia di Verona died.
  508. Find this resource:
  509. Coppini, Donatella. “Un epillio umanistico fra Omero e Virgilio: il Diosymposeos liber di Basinio da Parma.” In Confini dell’Umanesimo letterario. Studi in onore di Francesco Tateo. Vol. 1. Edited by M. de Nichilo, G. Distaso, and A. Iurilli, 301–336. Rome: Roma nel Rinascimento, 2003.
  510. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  511. Explores the classical models for one of Basinio’s minor works.
  512. Find this resource:
  513. Ferri, Ferruccio. La giovinezza di un poeta: Basinii Parmensis Carmina. Rimini, Italy: Artigianelli, 1914.
  514. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  515. Useful overview and collection of Basinio’s early Latin poetry.
  516. Find this resource:
  517. Poesch, Jessie. “Ennius and Basinio of Parma.” Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 25.1–2 (1962): 116–118.
  518. DOI: 10.2307/750545Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  519. Sees the relationship between the ancient hero Scipio Africanus and his poet Ennius as the model for Sigismondo and Basinio.
  520. Find this resource:
  521. Resta, Giovanni. “Vegio, Basinio, e l’Argonautica di Apollonio Rodio.” In Miscellanea Augusto Campana. Vol. 2. Edited by R. Avesani, 639–669. Padua, Italy: Antenore, 1981.
  522. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  523. Explores the classical models for one of Basinio’s minor works.
  524. Find this resource:
  525. Zabughin, Vladimiro. Vergilio nel Rinascimento Italiano da Dante a Torquato Tasso. 2 vols. Edited by Stefano Carrai and Alberto Cavarzere. Bologna, Italy: Zanichelli, 1921–1923.
  526. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  527. Useful synopsis of Basinio’s Hesperis. Zabughin sees the poem as an imitation of the Aeneid.
  528. Find this resource:
  529. Other Malatesta Humanists
  530.  
  531. There were several other humanists besides Basinio active in Sigismondo’s court. Massera 2006 (originally published in 1925–1927) maps the career of Roberto Valturio, a counselor and author of a treatise on war. D’Elia 2013 looks at a surprising tactic in Valturio’s praise for Sigismondo. D’Elia 2006 contextualizes a Latin oration from a manuscript in Venice by the humanist, Pietro Parleo. Fava 1938 examines Giovanni Cocchi’s treatise on the soul, which was dedicated to Sigismondo. Although Cappelli 2014 provides an updated biography for Gianantonio de’ Pandoni, Porcellio, Frittelli 1900 is still useful as the author quotes large sections from Porcellio’s works. Ferri 1920 contextualizes all the relevant sources on a debate over the value of Greek among Basinio, Porcellio, and Tommaso da Seneca, which Sigismondo reportedly adjudicated. Donati 2010 adds little to our knowledge of Manetti and essentially repeats the argument in Scapecchi 1986 (cited under Tempio Malatestiano (San Francesco): Architecture) on the triumphal theme.
  532.  
  533. Cappelli, Guido. “Pandone, Porcelio.” Dizionario biografico degli italiani 80 (2014).
  534. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  535. Up-to-date biography of this mediocre but important minor poet.
  536. Find this resource:
  537. D’Elia, Anthony F. “Heroic Insubordination in the Army of Sigismondo Malatesta: Petrus Parleo’s Pro Milite, Machiavelli, and the Uses of Cicero and Livy.” In Humanism and Creativity in the Italian Renaissance: Essays in Honor of Ronald G. Witt. Edited by C. S. Celenza and K. Gouwens, 31–60. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2006.
  538. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  539. On the use of classical republican examples in Malatesta court literature. Includes a transcription of Parleo’s oration on behalf of a captain who against Sigismondo’s orders engaged the enemy and won a victory. A showpiece, which the humanist claimed to deliver in front of Sigismondo.
  540. Find this resource:
  541. D’Elia, Anthony F. “Iron Stomach: The Heroism of Eating Rancid Food, a Locus Classicus?” In Renaissance Studies in Honor of Joseph Connors. Edited by Machtelt Israëls and ‎Louis Alexander Waldman, 155–159. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2013.
  542. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  543. Explores the classical sources for Valturio’s praise of Sigismondo’s ability to eat rancid food.
  544. Find this resource:
  545. Donati, Andrea. “L’immagine vittoriosa di Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta e l’orazione di Giannozzo Manetti per la consegna del bastone di comando dell’esercito fiorentino (Vada, 30 settembre 1453).” Studi romagnoli 61 (2010): 774–822.
  546. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  547. Superfluous transcription of Manetti’s oration and argument for its importance to Sigismondo’s triumphal imagery.
  548. Find this resource:
  549. Fava, Domenico. “Fra Giovanni e Sigismondo Malatesta.” In Scritti vari dedicati a Mario Armanni in occasione del suo sessantesimo compleanno. Edited by Carlo Hoepli and Erardo Aeschlimann, 49–62. Milan: Hoepli, 1938.
  550. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  551. On the author of a treatise on the immortality of the soul, which was dedicated to Sigismondo.
  552. Find this resource:
  553. Ferri, Ferruccio. Una contesa di tre umanisti: Basinio, Porcellio e Seneca. Contributo alla storia degli studi greci nel quattrocento in Italia. Pavia, Italy: Fusi, 1920.
  554. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  555. Examines a debate over the value of the Greek language in Sigismondo’s court. Includes extensive appendix of sources: invectives, poems, and letters.
  556. Find this resource:
  557. Frittelli, Ugo. Giannantonio de’ Pandoni detto il “Porcellio”: Studio critico. Florence: Paravia, 1900.
  558. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  559. Biographical survey of Porcellio’s chief works, including a section on his poem about Sigismondo and Isotta (de amore Iovis in Isottam), pages 111–123, which contains numerous block quotes from the poem.
  560. Find this resource:
  561. Massera, Aldo Francesco. “Roberto Valturio: ‘Omnium scientiarum doctor et monarcha’ (1405–1475).” In Roberto Valturio: Saggi critici. Edited by Paola Delbianco, 27–42. Rimini, Italy: Guaraldi, 2006.
  562. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  563. Originally published 1925–1927. Still the best biography of Valturio.
  564. Find this resource:
  565. Isotta degli Atti
  566.  
  567. Sigismondo first met Isotta when she was 11 or 13 years old and he was still married to his second wife, Polissena Sforza. Their romance was celebrated in poetry and on medals even before Polissena died in 1449. Basinio praises their love at first sight and the passion of their romance in several poems in the Liber Isottaeus. Isotta is a goddess to whom prayers are made after her death. He also presents Isotta as Sigismondo’s nymph lover and guide to the underworld in the Hesperis. According to Porcellio, Isotta’s divine beauty started a war in Olympus as Jupiter fell madly in love with her. Reacting to the prominence of her tomb in the Tempio (and perhaps to this poetry), Pius II accused Sigismondo of dedicating a church to his mistress. Yriarte 1882, Beltramelli 2004 (originally published in 1912), Ricci 1929, Pound 1923, and other Romantic works seized on the image of Sigismondo as passionate lover and the Tempio as a pagan temple dedicated to Isotta. The actual Isotta, whom Sigismondo married in 1453 or 1454, competently ruled Rimini in Sigismondo’s absence (1464–1465) and after his death in 1468.
  568.  
  569. Beltramelli, Antonio. Un tempio d’amore. Rimini Raffaelli, 2004.
  570. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  571. Originally published 1912. Not scholarly but important for romantic and fascist image of Sigismondo. A meditation in poetic dreamy prose. Tempio malatestiano is seen as a temple of love consecrated to Isotta,
  572. Find this resource:
  573. Campana, Augusto. “Isotta degli Atti.” Dizionario biografico degli italiani (1962).
  574. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  575. Excellent account of sources and issues before 1962.
  576. Find this resource:
  577. Ettlinger, Helen S. “Visibilis et Invisibilis: The Mistress in Italian Renaissance Court Society.” Renaissance Quarterly 47.4 (1994): 770–792.
  578. DOI: 10.2307/2863216Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  579. Uses Isotta as an example of the influential role of the mistress in Renaissance courts.
  580. Find this resource:
  581. Le Donne di casa Malatesti. 2 vols. Edited by Anna Falcioni. Rimini, Italy: Bruno Ghigi, 2005.
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  583. Contains useful articles on Ginevra d’Este by Roberta Iotti (pp. 543–566), Polissena Sforza by Bianca Orlandi (pp. 567–584), and Vannetta de’ Toschi (Sigismondo’s lover; pp. 647–662).
  584. Find this resource:
  585. Massèra, Aldo Francesco. “I Poeti isottei.” Giornale storico della letteratura italiana 57 (1911): 1–32.
  586. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  587. Survey of mostly vernacular love poets in Sigismondo’s court.
  588. Find this resource:
  589. Pius II. Pii Secundi Ponitificis Maximi Commentarii (1463). Edited by Ibolya and Ivan Boronkai. Budapest, Hungary: Balassi Kiado, 1993.
  590. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  591. Source for the Black Legend of Sigismondo as pagan and the Tempio as an impious monument to his mistress, Isotta.
  592. Find this resource:
  593. Pius II. Commentaries (1463). Vol. 1. Edited by Margaret Meserve. I Tatti Renaissance Library. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003.
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  595. See also Volume 2, published in 2007. Critical edition and English translation. For translation of later books, which contain most of the Sigismondo source material and are not yet available in the ITRL series, see Memoirs of a Renaissance Pope: The Commentaries of Pius II (1463). translated by F. A. Gragg (New York: Capricorn Books, 1959).
  596. Find this resource:
  597. Viroli, Marco. Signore di Romagna: Le altre leonesse, dame, amanti e guerriere nelle corti romagnole. Cesena, Italy: Il Vecchio Ponte, 2010.
  598. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  599. Popular book with brief biographies of Malatesta women, including Isotta.
  600. Find this resource:
  601. Reception Before the 19th Century
  602.  
  603. The negative image of Sigismondo in Pius II 2003 and Benzi and Pius II 1487 (cited under Primary Sources: Literary) dominated interpretations of Sigismondo before the 19th century. Clementini 1969 (cited under Biographies) tries to show Sigismondo as a great patron of the arts, who was dedicated to Rimini. His information, however, is questionable, as his sources are often not apparent. Battaglini 1794’s reappraisal is based on numerous primary and archival sources, mostly literary, that together provide a much more sympathetic portrait of Sigismondo as an enlightened ruler.
  604.  
  605. Battaglini, Francesco G. Della vita e de’ fatti di Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta. In Basini Parmensis poetae Opera praestantiora nunc primum edita et opportunis commentariis illustrata. Vol. 2. Edited by Angelo Battaglini, 257–699. Rimini, Italy: Albertiniana, 1794.
  606. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  607. Battaglini tries to defend Sigismondo’s legacy against Pius’ accusations. There are footnoted sources, which makes this book an excellent resource. The text, however, is dense and crowded with excessive and mostly superfluous detail.
  608. Find this resource:
  609. 19th-Century Interpretations
  610.  
  611. Rather than condemning him as an evil monster, 19th-century writers tended to celebrate Sigismondo for many of the same vices that Pius attacked. A more secular age and the struggle to unify Italy embraced the image of Sigismondo as a rebel against the church, who spurned Christian morality and refused to control his passion for Isotta. Burckhardt 1990 and Symonds 1897 portray him as the epitome of the secular pagan Renaissance. Yriarte 1882 started the romantic myth of Sigismondo and Isotta’s extraordinary love. Tonini 1882 (cited under Primary Sources: Documentary and Archival) and Tonini 1895–1896 follows in the tradition of earlier local Rimini historians, Clementini 1969 (cited under Biographies) and Battaglini 1794, and fits into the late 19th-century positivist trend to publish primary sources. His synthetic treatment avoids the most controversial issues of Sigismondo’s life by sticking to archival sources, many of which are quite banal, such as minor tax adjustments and ecclesiastical appointments.
  612.  
  613. Burckhardt, Jacob. The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy. Translated by S. G. C. Middlemore. New York: Penguin, 1990.
  614. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  615. One of the originators of the romantic, immoral, pagan Sigismondo: the Renaissance individual par excellence, an impious monster but a man of action and culture, who seized life and made his own fate. Originally published in 1860.
  616. Find this resource:
  617. Il Tempio di Sigismondo: Grafia malatestiana fra Rinascimento e Novecento. Mostra di incisioni. Rimini, Italy: Ramberti Arti Grafiche, 2000.
  618. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  619. Catalogue of engravings and graphic art featuring the Tempio, Sigismondo, and Isotta from the 17th to the early 20th century. Romantic depictions of Isotta and Rimini tourism posters especially noteworthy.
  620. Find this resource:
  621. Piromalli, Antonio. La cultura letteraria nelle corti dei Malatesti. Rimini, Italy: Bruno Ghigi, 2002. 17–135.
  622. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  623. The Malatesta “myth” from Dante to Gabriele D’Annunzio. Section on Luigi Tonini is notable.
  624. Find this resource:
  625. Symonds, John Addington. Renaissance in Italy. London: Smith and Elder, 1897.
  626. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  627. Highlights the contrast of high culture in Sigismondo’s patronage of the arts with the barbarism of his acts. Sigismondo is a pagan and a villain, unfettered by religion and morality.
  628. Find this resource:
  629. Tonini, Carlo. Compendio della storia di Rimini. Bologna, Italy: Renzetti, 1895–1896.
  630. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  631. Multivolume collection of nonliterary primary sources. Essential collection of archival sources.
  632. Find this resource:
  633. Yriarte, Charles. Un Condottiere au XVe siecle: Rimini: Etudes sur les Lettres et les Arts a la cour des Malatesta. Paris: Rothschild, 1882.
  634. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  635. This biography by a French travel writer and journalist popularized the romantic view of the rebel lover Sigismondo. Yriarte did extensive research and uncovered many new documents. His treatment of the Tempio and the romance of Sigismondo with Isotta degli Atti was particularly influential on later writers.
  636. Find this resource:
  637. 20th-Century Interpretations
  638.  
  639. Apart from the exceptional critical histories of Soranzo, 20th-century works, especially D’Annunzio 1903, Hutton 1906, and Ricci 1929, develop further the romantic image of the lover and rebel Sigismondo, stressing his extreme passion and violence. Fascist and right-wing works Beltramelli 1923, Pound 1923, and Montherlant 1946 applaud his creative use of violence and decisive action.
  640.  
  641. Beltramelli, Antonio. L’uomo nuovo. Rome and Milan: Mondadori, 1923.
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  643. In this, the first biography of Benito Mussolini, Sigismondo appears as the forerunner of the fascist leader and the embodiment of fascist ideals. Mussolini came from Forli, which is a city near Rimini.
  644. Find this resource:
  645. D’Annunzio, Gabriele. Francesca da Rimini. Milan: Treves, 1903.
  646. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  647. Contains a poem about Sigismondo. Storm, passion, and failure describe the romantic Sigismondo, who lives on in the art of the Tempio.
  648. Find this resource:
  649. Hutton, Edward. Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta: The Lord of Rimini: A Study of a Fifteenth Century Italian Despot. London: J. M. Dent, 1906.
  650. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  651. Popular historical novel about Sigismondo by an English travel writer and art critic. Some use of sources. Republished twenty years later as The Mastiff of Rimini: Chronicles of the House of Malatesta (London: Methuen, 1926).
  652. Find this resource:
  653. Montherlant, Henri de. Malatesta. Lausanne, Switzerland: Margueret, 1946.
  654. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  655. A right-wing existentialist, Montherlant emphasizes the contradictions in life and the need for decisive action and violence against meaningless existence. Sigismondo is violent and selfish.
  656. Find this resource:
  657. Pound, Ezra. “The Malatesta Cantos (Cantos IX to XII).” Criterion 1.4 (July 1923): 363–384.
  658. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  659. The American poet with fascist leanings used Beltramelli, Hutton, and Yriarte along with some archival documents to craft his three lengthy poems about the heroic Sigismondo.
  660. Find this resource:
  661. Rainey, Lawrence. Ezra Pound and the Monument of Culture. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991.
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  663. Essential reading for understanding the political and cultural interpretations of Sigismondo in the modern age. Best scholarship in English on the origins of the black legend in 15th-century Italy and up to the time of Pound.
  664. Find this resource:
  665. Ricci, Alberto. Sigismondo e Isotta (Gli ultimi Malatesta). Milan: Edizioni Athena, 1929.
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  667. Popular history of Sigismondo and Isotta. No notes but quoted primary sources. Follows themes of Romantic interpretation: Tempio as temple of love for Isotta, paganism, and immorality.
  668. Find this resource:
  669. Soranzo, Giovanni. “La Sigla ‘SI’ di Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta.” La Romagna 6 (1909): 306–324.
  670. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  671. Argues persuasively that the “SI” insignia in the decorations of the Tempio were simply the initials of Sigismondo’s name, against Yriarte’s popular view that the “SI” signified Sigismondo and Isotta’s love, as shown in the “S” letter lovingly entwining around the “I.” Ricci 1924 (cited under Tempio Malatestiano (San Francesco)) and others followed Yriarte’s romantic interpretation.
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