Colonna, Francesco

Colonna, Francesco an Italian scholar, was born at Venice about 1449. While young he entered the Dominican order, was professor of grammar and belles-lettres in the convent of that order at Treviso in 1467, and in 1473 was made doctor of theology at Padua. He died in 1527, leaving a very singular work, a kind of allegorical romance, entitled Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, intended to show that human passions are but dreams (originally published at Venice in 1499; an inferior edition, ibid. 1545; transl. into French, Paris, 1546, also 1554, 1561; improved version, by Vernille, ibid. 1600; literal translation by Le Grand, ibid. 1804; Parma, 1811; English transl. Lond. 1592, not complete). See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, s.v.