including his own four sons. Apart from a brief sojourn in
Amsterdam (1591–93), when his father was appointed
city architect there, Abraham remained in Utrecht for the
rest of his long life. A versatile artist, he painted biblical
and mythological subjects in the mannerist mode made
current in northern Europe by Frans FLORIS and
SPRANGER. Bloemaert later came under the influence of
CARAVAGGIO, as mediated by his pupil Gerard Honthorst
(1590–1656) who studied in Italy between 1610 and
1620, and later still he adopted a more classical style. He
was also a portraitist and a prolific and accomplished
draftsman, particularly notable for his landscape draw-
ings.
Blois A French city on the River Loire. First mentioned in
the sixth century, it was the seat of the powerful counts of
Blois in the Middle Ages. The city was acquired by Louis
of Orleans late in the 14th century and passed to the
French crown when his grandson became LOUIS XIIof
France (1498). In the 16th century Blois was an important
administrative and royal center. Its many Gothic and Re-
naissance buildings include the château with its famous
FRANCIS Ifacade (1515–24). The château was the scene of
the murder (1588) of the duke of GUISEby order of HENRY
III.
Blondeel, Lancelot (1496–1561) Flemish painter,
architect, designer, and engraver
He was born at Poperinghe, but became a master painter
in the guild at Bruges in 1519. The chimneypiece (1530)
for the Greffe du Franc, Bruges, is an example of his ar-
chitectural work in the early Renaissance style, and Re-
naissance elements also appear in his triptych of SS
Cosmas and Damian (1523; St. Jacques, Bruges). In 1550
he and Jan van SCORELwere commissioned to restore the
GHENT ALTARPIECE.
Blood, Tribunal or Council of See TRIBUNAL OF BLOOD.
Blundeville, Thomas (1522–1606) English polymath
and autodidact
Blundeville spent most of his life near the English city of
Norwich, with occasional trips to London to present pub-
lishers with the fruits of his liberal studies—in historiog-
raphy, moral philosophy, politics, and logic. He also
published books on the training of horses, on astronomy,
and celestial navigation. He is perhaps best remembered as
the author of Exercises for “young gentlemen” on astron-
omy, navigation, and other topics (1594, with several later
editions), and as the earliest translator into English of
Federico Grisone’s popular Italian text on horsemanship,
Gli ordini di cavalcare (1550) as A newe booke containing
the arte of ryding, and breakinge greate Horses...(1560; see
EQUITATION). His career is notable for its confidence in
self-directed learning: in The Art of Logike (1599), he
stated his credo that “Everie man [may] by his own in-
dustrie attaine unto right good knowledge & be made
thereby the more able to glorify God & to profit his coun-
try.”Boccaccino, Boccaccio (c. 1466–1525) Italian painter
Boccaccino came from Ferrara and was influenced by the
Ferrarese master ERCOLE DE’ ROBERTI. He also adopted el-
ements of the Venetian style. His best work was the fres-
coes he executed in the cathedral at Cremona between
1506 and 1519. Other works on religious subjects are pre-
served in the Accademia and Museo Correr, Venice.
Galeazzo CAMPIwas among his Cremonese followers, and
Boccaccino’s son Camillo (1501–46) was among those
who worked, like the Campi brothers, on the frescoes in
San Sigismondo, Cremona.Boccaccio, Giovanni (1313–1375) Italian poet and
scholar
He is one of the greatest figures in the history of European
literature. The recovery and study of classical texts, which
was the driving force behind Renaissance HUMANISM, can
justly be claimed to have originated with Boccaccio and
his older contemporary PETRARCH. Their determination
that the classical ideal should permeate every aspect of life
led to what has been called the “humanism of the vernac-
ular”: the ennobling not only of their native tongue, but
also of everyday experience, under the influence of classi-
cal models.
Boccaccio’s birthplace is uncertain, but was probably
either Certaldo or Florence. He spent his early years in
Florence before being sent to Naples (c. 1328) to learn
business in the service of the wealthy BARDI FAMILY: his
merchant father had apparently little sympathy with his
son’s literary aspirations. The dozen or so years Boccaccio
spent in Naples were decisive for him, since it was there
that he gained the support of King ROBERT OF ANJOU, was
introduced into the circle of humanists around the king,
and began to write. It was also during this period that he
fell in love with the mysterious “Fiammetta” (possibly
Maria d’Aquino, the king’s illegitimate daughter), who,
like Dante’s Beatrice or Petrarch’s Laura, was to be the in-
spiration for his writing for many years. Among the works
he produced at this time are the prose Il filocolo (c. 1336)
and the verse Il filostrato (c. 1338); the latter was to be
a major influence on CHAUCER’s Troilus and Criseyde
(c. 1380–85). In 1341 he also finished Teseida, an epic in
ottava rima, the verse meter which was to become the
characteristic vehicle for Italian epic or narrative poetry.
The following year he completed his Ameto (see PAS-
TORAL).
In all his early writings Boccaccio is an innovator,
but it was the decade following his return to Florence
(c. 1340) that saw him at the height of his powers, culmi-
nating in the composition of the DECAMERON(1348–53).5588 BBllooiiss