Onori, onoranze, opuscoli: la controversia funeraria del 1505-1508 e l’anonima Defensio statuti Brixianorum (1507)

This article contextualizes and analyzes the anonymous pamphlet Defensio statuti Brixianorum, published in 1507 in Brescia in response to another pamphlet printed by the city’s Dominicans to challenge the sumptuary laws passed by the Commune in the early 16th century. This short Latin text, still little studied today, is one of the most unique yet exemplary works of early modern Brescian Humanism. It reveals numerous points of interest, both formally (a blend of Christian thought and classical motifs, imbued with a strong satirical tone and wit) and in terms of content (for example, its reference to the witch hunts of the Val Camonica in the 15th and 16th centuries).