Francesco Griffo in Padua. From Goldsmith to 'Grammatoglypta' (1470-1480)

Abstract

The essay outlines the state of knowledge on Francesco Griffo from Bologna and presents new and valuable archival evidences found in the State Archive of Padua. The already known documents are combined with the significant set of recently discovered papers, in order to investigate the decade that Griffo spent in Padua, a city that was crucial for his biographical and professional career. There he came as a goldsmith, attracted by the artistic fervor that surrounded the Basilica of Saint Anthony, and there Griffo made the gradual transition to the engraving of printing types, working for some of the protagonists of the early printing and establishing professional relationships that would prove decisive for his future, in Venice and elsewhere.