Laura Battiferra degli Ammannati benefactress of the Florentine Jesuits

The essay traces the life of Laura Battiferra (1523-1589), noblewoman, poet , author and patron, from Urbino. She was married to Bartolomeo Ammannati, who worked for the Jesuit fathers. Kirkham inserts the relationship between the couple and the Jesuits into context of the social status of Laura's fa mily, her education, and her activity as poet and author. Laura in fact wro te nearly 400 poems, inspired in large part by her devotion, and correspond ed with numerous figures of the artistic and literary world. Laura's inheritance from her father Giovann' Antonio in 1561 allowed her to finance the Jesuit college and the extension of the Church of San Giovanni no in Florence, the most significant example of her artistic patronage.