«Con dolce inesto dell’amica pianta»: on the Artistic Partnership of Andreini and Ramponi

Abstract

This essay suggests a reassessment of the career of Giovan Battista Andreini in light of documentary evidence concerning his wife, Virginia Ramponi. Through the analysis of published and unpublished letters, it reveals the relevance of Ramponi’s mediation in significant episodes in the career of the couple, thus tracing a path that is parallel to and coordinated with the one identified by scholars in Andreini’s dramaturgy. The essay points out the ‘dual projectuality’ that underpins the success of the couple thus promoting the combinatorial mechanism as the key to interpreting their artistic partnership.