The contribution focuses on the bibliotheca of Pompeo Caimo, born in Udine in 1568. He was a physician to Cardinal Montalto in Rome and a professor of philosophy at the Sapienza University of Rome from 1604 to 1623. From 1624, Pompeo was also a professor of medicine and anatomy at the University of Padua. With his brother Eusebio, a jurist and bishop, and indispensable in the running of the household, he decided that the extensive library (roughly 2,500 volumes) should benefit their descendants’ education and professional training. However, the library also had another destiny: Caimo's heirs donated it to the Republic of Venice in 1636 to expand the University of Padua's library, which had become a public library (publica libraria) in 1629. The essay examines the book collection in light of its owner's professional profile and the family's policy of educating and training younger generations. By comparing this decision with other similar donations during the same period, this paper also tries to understand the family's final decision to donate the whole collection of books to the Venetian State.
Who Was Pompeo Caimo’s Library Intended For?: Family Use and Public Endowment of a 17th-Century Book Collection
Casella L.;Adank M.
2023-01-01
Abstract
The contribution focuses on the bibliotheca of Pompeo Caimo, born in Udine in 1568. He was a physician to Cardinal Montalto in Rome and a professor of philosophy at the Sapienza University of Rome from 1604 to 1623. From 1624, Pompeo was also a professor of medicine and anatomy at the University of Padua. With his brother Eusebio, a jurist and bishop, and indispensable in the running of the household, he decided that the extensive library (roughly 2,500 volumes) should benefit their descendants’ education and professional training. However, the library also had another destiny: Caimo's heirs donated it to the Republic of Venice in 1636 to expand the University of Padua's library, which had become a public library (publica libraria) in 1629. The essay examines the book collection in light of its owner's professional profile and the family's policy of educating and training younger generations. By comparing this decision with other similar donations during the same period, this paper also tries to understand the family's final decision to donate the whole collection of books to the Venetian State.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
