The Daily Readings. The Private Library of Countess Barbara Sanseverino (1550-1612)

Abstract

The essay presents and reviews an unpublished document: a list of books belonging to the countess Barbara Sanseverino (1550-1612), feudal lady of Sala and Colorno, in the Duchy of Parma. The noblewoman was executed in May 1612, after been accused of lese majesty for her suspected participation to the so called “conspiracy of nobles”, organized against the duke Ranuccio I Farnese. The catalog was completed postmortem and includes about thirty books covering different disciplines: in order of listing we find six titles of handbooks to knit, a probable family book, four literary works, five titles of History and obout then titles of spirituality and prayer. The examination of the collection shows a fruition focused more on entertainment and meditation than study; furthermore, the titles dedicated to the art of knitting confirm the interest of the countess in fashionable clothing, alredy noted from previous studies.