Virtù is a concept theorized byNiccolò Machiavelli, centered on the martial spirit and ability of a person,[1] but also encompassing a broader collection of traits necessary for maintenance of thestate and "the achievement of great things."[2][3] In a secondary development, the same word came to mean an object of art.
Virtù, an Italian word meaning "virtue" or "power",[4] is derived from theLatinvirtus (lit. "manliness" but for a sense of 'man' closer to 'gentleman' than 'masculine' or 'male'). It describes the qualities desirable for a man, as opposed tovizio (vice). In the Italian language, the termvirtù is historically related to the Greek concept ofaretḗ, the Latinvirtus, and medieval Catholic virtues, e.g. theseven virtues. Thus, Machiavelli's use of the term is linked to the concept ofvirtue ethics.
Aristotle had early raised the question "whether we ought to regard the virtue of a good man and that of a sound citizen as the same virtue";[5]Thomas Aquinas stressed that sometimes "someone is agood citizen who has not the quality... [of] agood man".[6]
Machiavelli suggests a different set of virtues thanAristotle andThomas Aquinas, apparently with less focus on beneficence and concord, and with more focus oncourage. According to Machiavelli,virtù includes pride, bravery, skill, forcefulness, and an ability to harness ruthlessness when necessary.[2]
Florentine republicans at the turn of the 16th century CE likeFrancesco Guicciardini rediscovered the classical concept of the virtue of the active citizen, and looked to it for an answer to the problems of preserving their city-state's independence.[7]
Machiavelli extended the study of classical virtue to include skill, valor, and leadership, and to encompass the individual prince or war-leader as well.[8]
Virtù, for Machiavelli, was not equivalent tomoralvirtue, but was instead linked to the ability for a prince to win and maintain his state, even at the expense of ethical conduct.[9]
Both the positive Machiavellian idealisation of the virtues of ancient Roman republicanism, and the negative image ofvirtù asrealpolitik passed into the wider European consciousness over the centuries that followed.[10]
A secondary English meaning developed in the 18th century: a curio or art-object – something of value in itself.[11] Thus,Horace Walpole could refer to "my books, my virtus and my other follies".[12]
Following the establishment of theRoyal Academy in 1768, one contemporary considered that "the taste for virtu has become universal; persons of all ranks and degrees set up for connoisseurs".[13]
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