Page 142 - THE DECAMERON: 100 Days on 100 Etchings by Petru Rusu
P. 142
“Brother Cipolla“
This one’s set in Certaldo, the possible city of Boccaccio’s coal. When the peasants of the town gather to see Gabriel’s
birth and the place where he lived after he retired. Because feather, Cipolla sees dollar signs. He sends Guccio back to
of its wealth, it was a popular place for a friar called Cipolla get his relics so that they can begin and then collect money.
(“Onion” in Italian) to go begging. And look out Friar Cipolla Cipolla preaches dramatically and then opens the box to
has red hair. He’s also illiterate, popular and a good speaker. reveal the angel feather. Of course, he finds the lumps of
Cipolla, like many friars of his time, would make a lot of coal and has to do some quick thinking. But Cipolla’s in his
money by preaching fiery sermons outside of churches, and element. He regales them with a nonsense story about his
showing relics usually body parts of the saints or pieces of travels through fictitious lands. The point of telling such
sacred items that were supposed to have healing powers. a lengthy story is to explain why he has coals rather than
In this particular instance, Cipolla promises to show the an angel’s feather. Cipolla says that when he reached the
people of the parish a feather from the Angel Gabriel that Holy Land, the Patriarch gave him many relics. One of them
was left behind in Mary’s room after the Annunciation. was the feather. But he also has the coals over which St.
Giovanni and Biagio, citizens of Certaldo, listen to Cipolla’s Lawrence was roasted. Since the Patriarch placed each of
speech and decide to expose him as a fraud. They break them in identical containers, Cipolla sometimes confuses
into Cipolla’s room and steal the feather he plans to show them, as he’s done today. But God be praised! What a great
in his next sermon. Cipolla had a servant called “Guccio mistake to make! The feast day of St. Lawrence is coming up,
Porco” or “Guccio the Pig.” He’s a slob, but he keeps Cipolla so how much cooler is it that Cipolla happened to bring the
supplied with gossip. The friar tells Guccio to keep an eye coal? He invites the faithful to step forward to be blessed
on his room, but Guccio’s busy trying to hook up with an (and give him some money). In return, they will “never
ugly kitchen maid. So Giovanni and Biagio have an easy time be touched by fire without being burnt” for a whole year.
of stealing the feather and replacing it with three lumps of Cipolla makes a fortune and dupes the whole town.
“Brother Cipolla” retrieved from publicly source: shmoop
DECAMERON 142 <https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/decameron/summary/sixth-day-tenth-story>
