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David Lines
  • Italian Studies
    School of Modern Languages and Cultures
    University of Warwick
    Coventry CV4 7AL
    United Kingdom

David Lines

In contrast with a historiography that has viewed the University of Bologna as characterized by decline in the early modern period, this book argues that it remained a lively hub of cultural exchange, while its curriculum remained... more
In contrast with a historiography that has viewed the University of Bologna as characterized by decline in the early modern period, this book argues that it remained a lively hub of cultural exchange, while its  curriculum remained flexible and adapted to new situations. The volume considers, in Part I, Bologna's institutional and cultural context, while Part II examines the teaching of the humanities, philosophy, mathematics and astronomy, medicine, and theology.
This article investigates the claims made in the dedicatory epistle to Girolamo Manfredi's 'De homine' (also known as 'Il libro del perché') to have effected an Italian translation of various earlier works. First published in 1474, the... more
This article investigates the claims made in the dedicatory epistle to Girolamo Manfredi's 'De homine' (also known as 'Il libro del perché') to have effected an Italian translation of various earlier works. First published in 1474, the 'De homine' is strongly dependent on the pseudo-Aristotelian 'Problems', for which several translations into Latin were available by Manfredi's time as well as the highly influential commentary by Pietro d'Abano. Focusing on one particular section of the 'De homine' (II.x on voice), this article offers an analysis of the various sources used and of the extent to which Manfredi is indeed offering a translation or something different. This study concludes that Manfredi closely followed the translation by Bartolomeo da Messina and the commentary by Pietro d'Abano; it finds no clear evidence of his use of the translations by George of Trebizond or Theodore Gaza. Other sources used include especially Rhazes' 'Ad Almansorem'. The work by Manfredi raises rich questions about what qualified as a 'translation' in his time.
Proceedings from a conference held at the University of Warwick in 2017 and tied to how translation of philosophical texts was theorised and practised during the Renaissance, in Italy and across Europe. Includes articles by Carlo Enrico... more
Proceedings from a conference held at the University of Warwick in 2017 and tied to how translation of philosophical texts was theorised and practised during the Renaissance, in Italy and across Europe. Includes articles by Carlo Enrico Roggia, Sara Miglietti, Violaine Giacomotto-Charra, Jean-Louis Fournel, Micha Lazarus, David Lines, Dario Tessicini, Eva Del Soldato, Matteo Cosci, Jill Kraye, Anna Laura Puliafito.
Il testo ricostruisce il complesso fascio di relazioni che legano Venezia e la fortuna rinascimentale di Aristotele. Venezia svolse un ruolo chiave per la diffusione del pensiero e dell’opera di Aristotele, non solo in ragione della sua... more
Il testo ricostruisce il complesso fascio di relazioni che legano Venezia e la fortuna rinascimentale di Aristotele.
Venezia svolse un ruolo chiave per la diffusione del pensiero e dell’opera di Aristotele, non solo in ragione della sua vitalità come centro tipografico, ma anche e soprattutto perché costituiva un importantissimo crocevia linguistico.
La selezione di quarantuno opere, tra manoscritti e stampe, ricostruisce un capitolo importante di queste intersezioni linguistiche e culturali tra greco, latino e italiano che caratterizzarono il nostro Rinascimento.
This edited volume emerges from a conference of the same title held in Pisa in September 2012. It appeared in connection with a research project on Vernacular Aristotelianism in Renaissance Italy, funded by the Arts and Humanities... more
This edited volume emerges from a conference of the same title held in Pisa in September 2012. It appeared in connection with a research project on Vernacular Aristotelianism in Renaissance Italy, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK). Essays range chronologically from medieval Aristotelianism to the end of the sixteenth century, not only in Italy, but also in France and Spain.
Cultural and intellectual dynamism often stand in close relationship to the expression of viewpoints and position that are in tension or even conflict with one another. This phenomenon has a particular relevance for early modern Europe,... more
Cultural and intellectual dynamism often stand in close relationship to the expression of viewpoints and position that are in tension or even conflict with one another. This phenomenon has a particular relevance for early modern Europe, which was heavily marked by polemical discourse. The dimensions and manifestations of this 'Streikultur' are being explored by an International Network funded by the Leverhulme Trust (United Kingdom). This volume contains the proceedings of the Network's first colloquium, which focused on the *forms* of Renaissance conflict and rivalries, from the perspectives of history, language, and literature.
This volume offers a new survey of the contexts, approaches and genres, and themes of Renaissance ethics, asking in what ways it was different from the preceding tradition and from later developments. It takes into consideration... more
This volume offers a new survey of the contexts, approaches and genres, and themes of Renaissance ethics, asking in what ways it was different from the preceding tradition and from later developments. It takes into consideration developments across Europe, and in both Latin and the vernacular. Not limiting itself to philosophy, it also explores the ethical function of literary works.
This volume provides an introduction to (and facsimile edition of) the Latin translation of the ancient and Byzantine commentators on Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics" by Giovanni Bernardo Feliciano. It was one of the most-used means for... more
This volume provides an introduction to (and facsimile edition of) the Latin translation of the ancient and Byzantine commentators on Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics" by Giovanni Bernardo Feliciano. It was one of the most-used means for approaching the ancient tradition on this work for those who had no Greek, coming to replace the version offered by Robert Grosseteste.
This volume studies the teaching of Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics" (the standard textbook for moral philosophy) in the universities of Renaissance Italy. Special attention is given to how university commentaries on this text reflect... more
This volume studies the teaching of Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics" (the standard textbook for moral philosophy) in the universities of Renaissance Italy. Special attention is given to how university commentaries on this text reflect developments in educational theory and practice and in humanist Aristotelianism. Case studies are taken from the universities of Florence-Pisa, Padua, Bologna and Rome (including the Collegio Romano), although material on Pavia is also included.

The files below contain: the Table of Contents of the book; the Introduction; and Chapter 5 on the University of Florence, including Niccolò Tignosi and Donato Acciaiuoli.
This article addresses the question of whether and how philosophical translation was different from that of other works (e.g., of literature) and frames the special issue within a series of questions within current studies of the history... more
This article addresses the question of whether and how philosophical translation was different from that of other works (e.g., of literature) and frames the special issue within a series of questions within current studies of the history of translation in the Renaissance period.
This essay examines Bernardo Segni's "Trattato dei governi", a translation and commentary in Italian on Aristotle's "Politics". In particular, it argues that in this work Segni is responding to more contemporary concerns and debates... more
This essay examines Bernardo Segni's "Trattato dei governi", a translation and commentary in Italian on Aristotle's "Politics". In particular, it argues that in this work Segni is responding to more contemporary concerns
and debates relating to Florence’s political situation. It shows
that Segni was strongly aware of and exploited Niccolò Machiavelli’s doctrines, both in his interpretation of Aristotle and even more strongly in his work of political history, the "Istorie fiorentine", even though he disagreed with some of Machiavelli’s premises. It also considers in what ways Segni expressed his discontent with the Medici regime, considering it a tyranny, even while he managed to praise and defend Duke Cosimo I.
This essay considers the component of Aristotelian books within Aldrovandi's definitive library catalogue within the context of his Bolognese library as a whole. It also looks at holdings in the Biblioteca Universitaria of Bologna,... more
This essay considers the component of Aristotelian books within Aldrovandi's definitive library catalogue within the context of his Bolognese library as a whole. It also looks at holdings in the Biblioteca Universitaria of Bologna, matching surviving copies with items listed in the catalogue. Pages of actual publication are 303-379.
This article studies a vernacular compendium compiled by Francesco Piccolomini (formerly professor of natural philosophy in Padua) of his much longer and more difficult Latin work 'Universa philosophia de moribus' (1583). It outlines how... more
This article studies a vernacular compendium compiled by Francesco Piccolomini (formerly professor of natural philosophy in Padua) of his much longer and more difficult Latin work 'Universa philosophia de moribus' (1583). It outlines how Piccolomini adapted his works to the expectations of the work's dedicatees, the Medici, as opposed to his Latin work, which was addressed to the Venetian Senate. Among other points, Piccolomini adapts his political views.
Research Interests:
Why do present works on Renaissance philosophy and intellectual history, particularly in the Anglophone world, focus nearly exclusively on texts written in Latin? How does this trend match the history of the discipline? And should we be... more
Why do present works on Renaissance philosophy and intellectual history, particularly in the Anglophone world, focus nearly exclusively on texts written in Latin? How does this trend match the history of the discipline? And should we be rethinking our practice, giving works written in the vernacular a much more prominent place? This essay focuses on these questions, while suggesting that a more linguistically inclusive approach will offer a better sense of the development of Renaissance thought overall.
This article uses various documents in Bologna’s Biblioteca Universitaria to explore the strategies that Ulisse Aldrovandi used in relation to acquiring books and keeping them in order. The first section is devoted to the physical... more
This article uses various documents in Bologna’s Biblioteca Universitaria to explore the strategies that Ulisse Aldrovandi used in relation to acquiring books and keeping them in order. The first section is devoted to the physical arrangement of the Bolognese scholar’s library in his home, where it sat in contiguous spaces to his natural museum. This study then examines how Aldrovandi’s collection of books grew, how he managed to keep control over its contents through four different catalogues, and how it fared after his death. The third section outlines his interest in the libraries of other scholars, both in Bologna and elsewhere. Finally, we discuss how Aldrovandi was concerned to grow his library throughout his lifetime, through networks of printers, friends, and former students. Aldrovandi seems to have been particularly interested in the potential of collaborative research to help find books and manage the information they contained.
Research Interests:
This article considers the disposition of Aldrovandi's books in Bologna's Palazzo Pubblico, where they were placed around 1617, twelve years after the scholar's death. This library was an early example of a public library, deriving from a... more
This article considers the disposition of Aldrovandi's books in Bologna's Palazzo Pubblico, where they were placed around 1617, twelve years after the scholar's death. This library was an early example of a public library, deriving from a scholar's personal collection, to which other collections were added. One of the article's chief findings is that the new spaces tried to reflect as much as possible Aldrovandi's original arrangement in his home, but the books seem to have been re-ordered thematically before they were transferred to the Istituto delle Scienze in the early eighteenth century.
This article focuses on the intense debates about the order of learning taking place in Bologna in the second half of the sixteenth century. A particularly interesting actor was Ulisse Aldrovandi, but many other documents of interest... more
This article focuses on the intense debates about the order of learning taking place in Bologna in the second half of the sixteenth century. A particularly interesting actor was Ulisse Aldrovandi, but many other documents of interest survive as well, testifying to remarkably different points of view about the challenges in Bologna's university and how to solve them.
This article deals with L.B. Alberti's studies in Bologna in the 1420s. Scholars may find of particular interest the discussion on pp. 384-387 of the books lent out by Carlo Ghisilieri (c. 1400–1463) to various important figures in... more
This article deals with L.B. Alberti's studies in Bologna in the 1420s. Scholars may find of particular interest the discussion on pp. 384-387 of the books lent out by Carlo Ghisilieri (c. 1400–1463) to various important figures in Bologna, including not only Alberti, but also Gaspare Sighicelli, Giovanni Toscanella, Tommaso da Camerino, etc. The article suggests that Alberti may have received his doctorate in a nearby university where it could be obtained more cheaply, for instance in Ferrara or Perugia.
This article deals with the debate about the method of ethics between Francesco Zabarella and Francesco Piccolomini in Padua. It then discusses how their views were received in Germany, particularly at Altdorf and Danzig by Michael... more
This article deals with the debate about the method of ethics between Francesco Zabarella and Francesco Piccolomini in Padua. It then discusses how their views were received in Germany, particularly at Altdorf and Danzig by Michael Piccart and Bartholomaeus Keckermann, respectively.
As far as is known, this was the first funded research project world-wide to study the Renaissance diffusion of Aristotelian works in the Italian vernacular. The project ran from October 2010 to December 2013, as a collaboration (funded... more
As far as is known, this was the first funded research project world-wide to study the Renaissance diffusion of Aristotelian works in the Italian vernacular. The project ran from October 2010 to December 2013, as a collaboration (funded by an AHRC standard grant, around £500k) between the University of Warwick and the Warburg Institute in London . This initiative tried to redress the almost exclusive concentration on Latin Aristotelianism among historians of philosophy and ideas in recent decades and provided an electronic census and description of all relevant materials in both manuscript and print.

The project brought together historians of language, literature, philosophy, science and culture to explore how Aristotelianism increasingly reached a broad and non-Latinate public. It was led by David Lines (PI, Warwick) together with Simon Gilson (Warwick and Jill Kraye (The Warburg Institute, London) as Co-Is. The research fellow was Eugenio Refini, and the PhD student was Grace Allen. The project partner was Luca Bianchi (Univ. del Piemonte Orientale, Vercelli).

The project, which has already given rise to an electronic census of relevant works as well as several articles, is also resulting in the publication of proceedings for two colloquia (Pisa, September 2012 and London, June 2013).
Research Interests:
This research by Dr David Lines (funded by a British Academy Small Grant, August 2011–July 2014) studies the curricular and intellectual developments in the University of Bologna (particularly the Faculty of Arts and Medicine) between c.... more
This research by Dr David Lines (funded by a British Academy Small Grant, August 2011–July 2014) studies the curricular and intellectual developments in the University of Bologna (particularly the Faculty of Arts and Medicine) between c. 1400 and c. 1700. It is among the first attempts to place the changes taking place in the university within the broader context of cultural developments across the city, including in academies, studia of the religious orders, private libraries and printing presses. It will result in a monograph, currently intended for the University of Michigan Press, and has already given rise to several articles.
Research Interests:
The Centre for the Study of the Renaissance at the University of Warwick (PI: Dr David Lines) is leading a Levehulme International Network together with six other institutions on the theme of ‘Renaissance Conflict and Rivalries’. This... more
The Centre for the Study of the Renaissance at the University of Warwick (PI: Dr David Lines) is leading a Levehulme International Network together with six other institutions on the theme of ‘Renaissance Conflict and Rivalries’. This interdisciplinary project, which will result in three research colloquia, will examine the extent to which conflict and rivalries (between disciplines, institutions, art forms, literary genres, philosophical and religious allegiances, social/political groups, etc.) were a positive agent of cultural production and change across Renaissance Europe.

The other institutions are: The Warburg Institute (London), the University of Leuven, the University of Bonn, the Centre d'Études Supérieurs de la Renaissance (Tours), the University of Venice (Ca’ Foscari), and the University of Florence.
Research Interests:
This is an ERC-Starting Investigator Grant running for 5 years from May 2014. Building on an AHRC grant hosted at Warwick on 'Vernacular Aristotelianism in Renaissance Italy' (2010-2013), this project (€ 1.5m) aims to reconstruct the... more
This is an ERC-Starting Investigator Grant running for 5 years from May 2014. Building on an AHRC grant hosted at Warwick on 'Vernacular Aristotelianism in Renaissance Italy' (2010-2013), this project (€ 1.5m) aims to reconstruct the vernacularization of Aristotle in Renaissance Italy both by analysing its achievements in specific fields (e.g., logic, physics, ethics, psychology, rhetoric) and by considering its methodology and general context.

The project is led by Marco Sgarbi (Università Ca' Foscari, Venice); a separate team, led by David Lines and Simon Gilson at the University of Warwick, will supervise two postdoctoral research fellows and one PhD student.
Research Interests:
Exhibition in the Sala Sansoviniana, Sale Monumentali della Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana Venice (21 April-19 May 2016) The University of Warwick and the Marciana Library (http://marciana.venezia.sbn.it) are pleased to announce the... more
Exhibition in the Sala Sansoviniana, Sale Monumentali della Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana

Venice (21 April-19 May 2016)

The University of Warwick and the Marciana Library (http://marciana.venezia.sbn.it) are pleased to announce the exhibition Venice and Aristotle (c. 1450-c. 1600): From Greek and Latin to the Vernacular, to be held in the Sale Monumentali of the Marciana Library in Venice, from 21 April to 19 May 2016.

This exhibition, curated by Alessio Cotugno and David A. Lines (University of Warwick), highlights the role played by Venice in the Renaissance interpretation and dissemination of the works of Aristotle, who remained the most intensely studied philosopher of antiquity until at least 1700. Around thirty manuscripts and printed editions show how Venice's engagement with Aristotle expanded from Greek and Latin to Italian, which increasingly became a legitimate language for literary and philosophical studies in the sixteenth century. Greek and Latin manuscripts (some of them extremely old and belonging originally to the humanist, Greek émigré, and cardinal Bessarion, † 1472) and printed editions testify to Venice as a significant centre of learned scholarship on Aristotle and his commentators. But its position as one of the great capitals of the European printing industry made Venice the chief promoter of a lively cultural movement to make Aristotle’s works available to a broader public, which came to include women, princes, participants in Academies, and educated amateurs interested in literature, philosophy, and science.
Research Interests:
Seminar session at RSA 2020
Research Interests:
CFP for a seminar session with *precirculated papers* at the 2020 meeting of the Renaissance Society of America (Philadelphia, 2-4 April 2020). Organizers: David Lines (Warwick) and Sara Miglietti (Warburg) Deadline: 15 August 2019... more
CFP for a seminar session with *precirculated papers* at the 2020 meeting of the Renaissance Society of America (Philadelphia, 2-4 April 2020).

Organizers: David Lines (Warwick) and Sara Miglietti (Warburg)

Deadline: 15 August 2019 (early submissions encouraged)
Research Interests: