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Cristoforo Landino (Latin:Christophorus Landinus; 1424 inFlorence,Florence – 24 September 1498 in Borgo alla Collina, Casentino) was an Italianhumanist and an important figure of theFlorentineRenaissance.
From a family with ties to the Casentino, Landino was born in Florence in 1424. He studied law andGreek (underGeorge of Trebizond). Against his father's will he turned away from a career in the law and decided to studyphilosophy instead, a decision he would not have been able to make but for the patronage ofPiero di Cosimo de' Medici. Landino's wife Lucrezia was a member of theAlberti family.
In 1458 Landino replacedCristoforo Marsuppini as the chair of rhetoric and poetry at the Florentine Studio. His students, seeking a more renowned teacher, initially opposed Landino's appointment, but he nevertheless remained and became an important part of the cultural and intellectual life of Florence.
Landino was a member of thePlatonic Academy founded byMarsilio Ficino in Florence. He was the tutor ofLorenzo de' Medici and his brotherGiuliano. Landino also held public office, first as chancellor of theGuelf party (1467) and later as scriptor of public letters for theSignoria.
Landino died in 1498 in a villa in Borgo alla Collina, which he received as a gift from the Medici.
Landino was a prolific writer. He championed the use of vernacularItalian.
He wrote three works framed as philosophical dialogues:De anima (1453),De vera nobilitate (1469), and theDisputationes Camaldulenses (c. 1474). In theDisputationes several humanists compare the merits of the active and the contemplative life.
As the lady "Xandra" Landino published three volumes ofLatin poems. They were dedicated in 1458 to Piero de' Medici. He also prepared many letters and orations, which were published long after his death in Italian inVenice (1561).
Of special importance to the Renaissance, Landino prepared commentaries on theAeneid (1478) andThe Divine Comedy (1481). To promote the use of vernacular Italian, Landino held lectures onPetrarch and translated and publishedPliny'sHistoria naturalis (1476) andGiovanni Simonetta's Latin life ofFrancesco Sforza (1490). Among his pupils was historianAndrea Cambini.[1]
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