The Travels of Marco Polo · Character
Friar Pipino
Also known as Pipino, Friar Francesco Pipino, Franciscus
- Supporting
- First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 13
Pipino feels like a disciplined scholar, a man accustomed to carrying other people’s words carefully from one form into another. His quiet religious bearing is paired with the unmistakable impression of a mind shaped by books and exacting work.
- Gender
- male
- Age
- Adult (active 1315-1320)
- First appears
- Book 1 · Ch. 13
- Books
- 1
A Dominican friar of Bologna, Pipino translated Marco Polo’s account from the vernacular into Latin around 1315, while Polo was still alive, acting under the direction of his superiors. His version became the most widely copied form of the work, though it was known for condensing and curtailing the original. The record also connects him with a chronicle and a translation concerning the conquest of the Holy Land; an Irish version’s description of a “princely Friar in the habit of St. Francis” should not be mistaken for his stated Dominican identity.
Description
Pipino is an adult male Dominican friar from Bologna, with no recorded height, build, complexion, or individual facial features. His habitual clothing would be the plain Dominican combination of a white robe and scapular with a dark mantle and hood. The source does not describe his hair, eyes, or distinguishing marks, and gives no reliable basis for a more individualized portrait.
Connections
Family & partnersFriends & mentorsRivals
Marco Poloconflicting source relationships
Pipino translated Marco's book from the Lombardic vernacular into Latin and also drew on it for his chronicle.
Story so far
BOOK 1The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1
Appearances
Meet Friar Pipino in Bookworm
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