Leonardo Dati

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Leonardo Dati (1360–16 March 1425) was an Italian friar and humanist. He was Master general of the Dominican Order from 1414 to his death.

He was a Prior of Santa Maria Novella from 1401, and took part in the Council of Pisa (1409). At the time of the Council of Constance, Dati became Master General of a reunited Dominican Order. His sermons at Pisa and Constance include references to literary texts. Leonardo also gave financial aid to his brother Gregorio [or Goro], a Florentine merchant and diarist. He is buried at Santa Maria Novella.

Both Leonardo and Gregorio Dati are attributed authorship of La sfera (the Sphere), an astronomical-geographic poemetto in ottave, written in the second half of 14th century, and a work much popular in its time. This work in verse gives information about the world, the marinaresche compass and other things, adding observations, notes about travel and designs. In some manuscripts of La Sfera there are designs representing ports, headlands, islands, linked by many lines.

[edit] External links

• The manuscript of "La sfera" (or "La Sphera") is a description of the world in poetic form.

Preceded by Tommaso Paccaroni

Master General of the Dominican Order 1414 – 1425

Succeeded by Barthélémy Texier