Individuals

del Benino, Alessandro (fra) di Giovanni di Stefano di Niccolò di Piero (cavaliere di Malta)

Description

Alessandro di Giovanni del Benino was the last male in his family line, as noted in a tree kept in the Carte Pucci. The Ceramelli Papiani archive provides his year of death as 1672. Stefano Rosselli reports, though he only knew him as "Fra... del Benino," that Alessandro conceded a tabernacle in San Felice in Piazza with an image of the Virgin described as old ("una Madonna antica") that carried the del Benino family arms to "un Marchino Bogo, uomo di bassa condizione." Rosselli noted that the arms were obscured by the Virgin's mantle, and he knew of its original del Benino patronage only thanks to the prior of San Felice ("secondo mi vien detto dal Priore di questa Chiesa"). He noted that Alessandro was still alive at the time of writing (1650-1657) and makes clear his strong displeasure at the passing of the tabernacle to a new patron who built a new altar, used the tabernacle in place of an altarpiece, and adorned it with his coat of arms. Given that the del Benino had a chapel adjacent to the high altar of San Felice, Alessandro's concession of the tabernacle is not entirely surprising, even if it did disappoint the antiquarian.