Agostino Mascardi

Agostino Mascardi
Bernini, Portrait of Agostino Mascardi, Paris, École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts
Born	(1590-09-02)September 2, 1590 Sarzana, Republic of Genoa (now Province of La Spezia, Liguria, Italy)
Died	1640(1640-00-00) (aged 49–50) Sarzana, Republic of Genoa (now Province of La Spezia, Liguria, Italy)
Nationality	Italian
Occupations	Jesuit priest Classical scholar Historian Rhetorician
Parent(s)	Alderano Mascardi and Faustina Mascardi (née de’ Nobili)
Academic background
Alma mater	Pontifical Gregorian University
Academic work
Discipline	Rhetoric, Latin literature, Historiography
School or tradition	Baroque
Institutions	Sapienza University of Rome
Notable works	Dell'arte historica (1636) Siluarum libri IV (1622)

Agostino Mascardi (Italian pronunciation: [aɡoˈstiːno masˈkaɾði]; 2 September 1590 – 1640) was an Italian rhetorician, historian and poet.

Expelled from the Jesuit Order by his superiors, Mascardi pursued a successful career as a secretary for various important figures, and became a renowned writer and professor of rhetoric at the Sapienza University of Rome. He was a member of several learned societies and wrote a seminal treatise, "Dell'arte historica" (1636) advocating history as a powerful instrument of ethical and religious persuasion and largely focusing on the interplay between truth and believability.