Baldassarre Castiglione's statue

Baldassare Castiglione (Casatico 1478, Toledo 1529), was born into a noble family, he was a scholar and diplomat and lived in the Gonzaga period. In particular, he was a very influential counselor to Isabella d’Este and her son the Duke Federico. He is also the author of the masterpiece “Il Libro del Cortigiano”, a work in which a group of illustrious banqueters, gathered in the palace of Urbino, converse about good-living and the arts. Baldassare Castiglione frequented Rome at the same time Raphael was working there, and persuaded Giulio Romano, pupil of Raphael, to move to Mantua after the death of the famous painter. His statue, on the left of the proscenium arch, shows Castiglione pensively reading a book. His beard is similar to the one that appears in the famous portrait of him painted by Raphael.