Giovanni Lami

Giovanni Lami, also: Joannes or Johannes Lamius ( born November 8, 1697 in Santa Croce sull'Arno, † February 6, 1770 in Florence ) was an Italian jurist, scholar and librarian. He published works on Church history and cataloged as director of the Biblioteca Riccardiana their stocks.

Life

Giovanni Lami was born in 1697 in the family of wealthy merchants and landowners. His father had graduated in 1683 in Pisa for the exam Medicus. 1715 Giovanni Lami began at the University of Pisa to study Law, which he completed in 1719. Inspired by the extensive library of Professor Lazzaro Benedetto Migliorucci Lami turned to the study of history, philosophy and Greek. In 1728 he took a job as a librarian at Gian Luca Pallavicini in Genoa. He traveled to Paris and settled after his return via the Netherlands in 1732 in Florence, where he in 1736 for the position of librarian at the Riccardi family, who devoted himself since the end of the 16th century, the collection of valuable books and codices took. 1740 Giovanni Lami was appointed sole director of Riccardiana Collection and retained the position until his death. From 1733 he worked as a teacher of Church history at the University and as a consultant of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Gian Gastone de ' Medici. Giovanni Lami died on February 6, 1770, alone in his Florentine house; the news of his death is received in a letter. 1772 was erected to him in the south aisle of the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence a tomb.

Work

Giovanni Lami was not only taught in his publications, but also not averse to controversy, in which was fought over theological dogmas. He published occasionally under the pseudonyms Charito [n ], Cesellio Filomastige and [M. ] Thymoleon. His merits, already appreciated in his lifetime in medals and portraits since he had been co-opted in 1737 to the Accademia della Crusca, passed in his observations of Riccardiana, such as in the creation of an index belonging to the collection of manuscripts in 1756, and philological editions. So he bought, among other things an edition of the works of the Dutch philologist Johannes van Meurs (1579-1639) and gave 1736-1769 an unpublished collection of pamphlets ( Delicae eruditorum ) in Florence out. Lami published Lezioni di antichità toscane ( teachings of the ancient Tuscan, Florence 1766 ) and contributed a magazine novella litterarie to Florentine cultural life with.