Niccolò Barbieri

Niccolò (or Nicolò) Barbieri (Vercelli, 1586–1641)[1] was an Italian writer and actor of the commedia dell'arte theatrical genre.

[2][3] Besides popularizing Beltrame, Barbieri is also credited with creating another commedia dell'arte mask, Scapino.

[2] Barbieri was a successful author and actor, and one of those that toured Europe; he is known, for example, to have played at the royal court of France.

Discorso famigliare a quelli che trattano de' comici (1634), a passionate apology of theatre and actors,[1] which is also an important source of information on the commedia culture.

[4] As a commedia actor, Barbieri introduced the habit of acting while standing on a chair, which is supposedly the origin of the Italian word saltimbanco (which roughly translates to "s.o.