Marcantonio Barbaro

Marcantonio Barbaro (* 1518, † 1595; Complete name Marcantonio Barbaro di Francesco ), was a Venetian nobleman and diplomat from the Barbaro family. He was a patron of architecture, including Andrea Palladio. With his brother Daniele Barbaro he left the Villa Barbaro built.

Life

His father was the Senator Francesco Barbaro, his mother Elena Pisani. In 1534 he married Giustina Giustinani, with whom he had four sons. He studied in Verona and Padua. In 1535 he accompanied Marcantonio Giustinian, the ambassador to the French king. Subsequently, he held various important missions of the Venetian foreign policy. In 1541 he was one of the five Savi agli Ordini ( Special Officer, particularly for maritime tasks) in the Consiglio dei Savi ( Council of Elders ) and two years later a member of the Maggior Consiglio (the Great Council). In 1559 he became a member of the Senate and a year later one of the five Savi di Terraferma ( ways for the Venetian mainland ) of the Consiglio dei Savi. He held this job until the end of his life, with interruptions by diplomatic tasks. In 1561 he was representative of Venice in France with King Charles IX under the regency of Catherine de 'Medici. In Venice, the Rialto Bridge was built under his direction.