Abstract

The age of Baroque was characterized by a detectable shift in patterns of charitable giving. The will of Antonio Masini, both a prolific writer and a successful silk merchant in Bologna, is illustrative of the new practice. Celibate and hardly on good terms with his in laws, upon his death in 1691 Masini left all his assets to a most revered civic institution, the hospital of Santa Maria della Morte. The bequest was drafted in way to create a lasting legacy so that the donor could exert control over the living from the grave, and in doing so he could both show his devotion and enhance his fame and glory.