BECCADELLI, ANTONIO

(1394-1471)

Sicilianhumanistand poet, often known as Panormita from the Latin name for his birth-place, Palermo. He studied law and classical literature in several northern Italian cities. His book of sexually suggestive poems,Hermaphroditus/The Hermaphrodite(1425) attracted much notoriety, especially because of its explicit homosexual references. It was condemned and burned by the church as immoral, but the leading political figure ofFlorence,Cosimo de'Medici, was happy to accept the dedication. The work has often been cited as evidence that the culture of Renaissance Italy was irreligious and morally corrupt. Beccadelli was admired for hisclassicallearning and his skill as a poet. In mid-life he accepted the patronage of King Alfonso V ofNaplesand Sicily, and he spent the rest of his life at Alfonso's court, composing a laudatory biography of his patron.