ample GUZMÁN DE ALFARACHE(1599, 1604) by Mateo
ALEMÁN, the earliest, and El Buscón (The Rogue; written
1603–08, published 1626) by Francisco Gómez de
Quevedo y Villegas (1580–1645), perhaps the most bril-
liant and malicious of the type. Others are La pícara
Justina (1605), with a female protagonist, Marcos de
Obregón (1618), Alonso, mozo de muchos amos (Alonso,
Servant of Many Masters; 1624–26) by Jerónimo Alcalá
Yáñez, and Estebanillo González (1646), an apparently
genuine autobiography set in the Thirty Years’ War, after
which the vogue for the picaresque died out. Two of CER-
VANTES’s Novelas ejemplares, Rinconete y Cortadillo and La
ilustre fregona (The Illustrious Kitchenmaid; both 1613) are
shorter examples. The picaresque represents a reaction
against idealized chivalric literature. There is no reason to
discount the moral content of the novels, however, as
merely a means to appease the censor.
A forerunner of the picaresque novel in England was
The Unfortunate Traveller (1594) by Thomas NASHE.
Piccinino, Niccolò (1386–1444) Italian condottiere
Born near Perugia, Piccinino took up the profession of
mercenary to escape from following his father’s trade as a
butcher. In 1424, on the death of his commander, Pic-
cinino assumed leadership of the band, selling their ser-
vices first to Florence and then (1426) to Duke Filippo
Maria Visconti of Milan. His ambitions and his military
prowess however soon alarmed his employer, who sought
to win Francesco Sforza, at that time commander of
Venice’s forces and a personal enemy of Piccinino, over to
his side. The uneasy relationship between the Milanese
duke and the two condottieri on whom, in their different
ways, he relied continued throughout the 1430s, but in
1443 Sforza resoundingly defeated Piccinino in battle. Pic-
cinino died of dropsy the following year.
Piccolomini, Aenea Silvio See PIUS II
Piccolpasso, Cipriano See MAJOLICA
Pico della Mirandola, Giovanni (1463–1494) Italian
philosopher and humanist
The nephew of Marsilio FICINO, he was born at Mirandola
near Modena. He studied law at Bologna but found these
studies unsatisfying and at age 18 traveled extensively in
France and Italy, accumulating a large library and acquir-
ing a wide range of knowledge sacred and profane, which
his prodigious memory made readily accessible. In 1486
he arrived in Rome and proposed 900 theses or proposi-
tions, dealing, as he said, “de omni re scibili” (with every-
thing knowable), inviting all comers to debate them with
him and offering to pay their traveling expenses if poverty
prevented their taking up the challenge. However, Pope
Innocent VIII intervened by a Bull in 1487 to prevent the
discussion. Thirteen of the theses were singled out and
condemned as heretical. Pico withdrew to Florence and
defended himself in an Apology (1489) but the attacks
continued until Alexander VI absolved him of the taint of
heresy and protected him from further persecution. Under
the influence of SAVONAROLA, Pico adopted a life of austere
piety and died of fever at age 31.
Like so many Renaissance philosophers Pico sought
to reconcile theology and philosophy. He approached the
problem through a variety of avenues, notably the study of
the CABBALA, in which he believed he had found the quin-
tessential truth that would harmonize the Scriptures and
secular philosophy. A graphic description of the impact of
Pico’s personality on contemporaries comes from POLIT-
IAN, who described him as “the Phoenix of the wits.”
Pico’s biography was written by his nephew Giovanni and
translated into English (c. 1510) by Sir Thomas More.Pienza The model Renaissance city created out of the re-
building of the village of Corsignano, near Siena, birth-
place of Pope PIUS II. The pope initiated the project in
1459, with Bernardo ROSSELLINOas architect in charge. In
1462 the town’s name was changed from Corsignano to
Pienza by papal Bull. The main piazza was handsomely
constructed in Florentine style and a grid of streets was
also laid out, the earliest Renaissance example of symmet-
rical town planning. The deaths of both pope and architect
in 1464 brought work at Pienza to an end before more
than a few houses could be built. Nonetheless the Palazzo
Piccolomini, begun in 1460, is considered to be Ros-
sellino’s masterpiece; other notable buildings from this pe-
riod are the cathedral, the Palazzo Communale, and the
Palazzo Vescovile.Pierino da Vinci (c. 1530–c. 1554) Italian sculptor and
silversmith
Born at Vinci, the nephew of LEONARDO DA VINCI, Pierino
attended the academy of BANDINELLIin Florence from age
12 and was a pupil of Niccolò TRIBOLO. He then spent a
year in Rome before moving to Pisa. His work illustrated
the influence of MICHELANGELOon composition in sculp-
ture; with this influence he combined an engaging tender
quality typical of Tuscan art. A number of his sculptures
can be seen in the palaces of Florence and there are also
examples in European museums. He died of a fever in his
mid-twenties.Pierino del Vaga (Pietro Buonaccorsi) (c. 1501–1547)
Italian painter
Born near Florence, he lost his indigent parents when
young and was put under the protection of an artisan
named Andrea de’ Ceri. After studying under Ridolfo
Ghirlandaio, he adopted the name of Pierino del Vaga and
went to Rome. In Rome he worked under RAPHAELwith
GIULIO ROMANOand others executing designs in the Vati-
can, and after Raphael’s death he was among those em-PPiieerriinnoo ddeell VVaaggaa 3 37755