The "jester" from Camerino
by Corrado Zucconi  

Off all the important people in history who carne from Camerino, there is one who had a very particular kind of work - that of court jester, hi whose job it was to make princes and courtiers laugh at time when the diversions and entertainment available today were  non-existent. But how did a “jester” became important? He did so because he performed his job so well and with such expertise that the hi was sought after by the most important princes of the age and, once he had acquired sufficient experience , he wrote and published a very “serious” book both to defend the nobility of is trade and to set out some guidelines for those wishing to follow in his steps .
He became so famous that a play was dedicated to him, aptly called “The Jester”, written by the singer  Margherita Costa and edited in Florence in 1641, He was know as “ the little German”  ( il Tedeschino).
His name was Bernardo Ricci and he was born in Camerino on 16th January  1588.
He was still young when he was taken to Rome where he worked for a long time at the papal court before going to the court of the Medici family in Florence . His choice of such an unusual career was influenced by something that had occurred in his childhood which he himself described thus :
“ I was not yet old when  I earnt the nickname “ The little German”. I was when certain lords and princes were passing through my home town Camerino, end at the reception given to them I was presented at table in a German costume inside a pie, out of which I suddenly appeared ,mincing childishly to their great delight…”
At that time the papal Governor of Camerino was Cosimo Camajani from Arezzo , and it is quite
possible to imagine that such an important banquet ,whit “lords of princes” , was held at his residence in the papal palace, that is in the former ducal palace . It must have been sumptuous feast , if only for the fact that the pie was large enough to conceal a child.
The title of the book he wrote was “ The little German or the Defence of the Art of the Cavalier of Pleasure”. The subheading was .”A speech by the above dedicated to all those Princes who entertain themselves by keeping jester at court” . It was published in Venice but the frontispiece gives neither the editor nor the date of printing. However, the date was presumably between 1637 and 1638 if we consider that, in his dedication to the reader, the author commented “ It is more than forty-five years since I jumped out a pre in this world as a jester.” The expositive form is a dialogue, often used at the time because it was considered less tedious for the reader and more effective, with an interlocutor called Pompeo.
With his book Ricci also ante to defend hid profession from the competition represented by the Comedians of Art who in that period were starting to tour the Court of Europe. According to the author, his profession was unquestionably an art and required considerable talent and skills:”…But those who do not posses the gift of nature, and quickness of wit should do something else, for they will never be successful in this…” . “ Words lose all their meaning when they appear rehearsed.
But it is not enough for the jester to have the gift of words, for he must needs have for more. And by this I do not mean simply gestures with which he accompanies his words and stories, but imitations, new acts, jokes an tricks which can often be employed without words. All these aim to produce laughter , because this is the real difference between jesting and every other art.”
Straight after the frontispiece of the book there is a beautiful engraving by the Florence artist Stefano della Bella showing Bernardo Ricci on horseback with the city of Florence in the background. The engraving bears a dedication to the princes Vittoria D'Urbino, Gran Duchess of Tuscany, with the following verses : ” O Grand Duchess, here as a gift for you his portrait/ Bernardo Ricci known as the little German / the most admired polyptych  of his time / Here trough celebrity to pay you respects”.
Bernardo Ricci died in Florence on 6th March 1653 and was buried in the church of Santa Felicita.