Antonio Rinaldeschi Explained

Antonio Rinaldeschi (died 1501) was an Italian gambler and blasphemer, who gained notoriety for throwing dung at a painting of the Virgin Mary above the doorway of the church of Santa Maria degli Alberghi in Florence. Rinaldeschi was later executed and a cult developed after a piece of dung that remained resembled a crown above the Virgin's head.

Rinaldeschi's act was portrayed by the painter Filippo Dolciati in his 1502 painting The Story of Antonio Rinaldeschi.

References

• Robert C. Davis and Beth Lindsmith, Renaissance People, Thames and Hudson, 2011
• William J. Connell and Giles Constable, "Sacrilege and Redemption in Renaissance Florence: The Case of Antonio Rinaldeschi", Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 61, 1998.
• William J. Connell and Giles Constable, Sacrilege and Redemption in Renaissance Florence: The Case of Antonio Rinaldeschi, 2nd rev. ed., Toronto, CRRS, 2008.