Alessandro Vellutello (born 1473) was a Lucchese writer, poet, and scholar active in Venice in the first half of the sixteenth century.
Born in Lucca, Vellutello moved to Venice permanently in 1525, after fleeing from Milan due to the battle of Pavia which took place in February of that year.
[2] The images were conceived alongside Vellutello’s commentary, and both sought to provide an interpretation free from the influence or limitations imposed by previous explanations of Dante.
His style was indeed unconventional and seen as rebellious to the established literary doctrine of Venice at that time, particularly the influence of cardinal Pietro Bembo.
His stringent belief in the subordination of the commentator to the text was in contrast with the approach of Cristoforo Landino, whose commentary on Dante had dominated the field for 50 years previously.