Cornazano Antonio, *ca. 1430 Piacenza, †1484 Ferrara, Italian dance master and poet. A pupil of Domenico da Piacenza. Between 1453 and 1466, he lived in Milan at the court of the Sforza family as a tutor to the children of Duke Francesco I, and later in Venice and Ferrara. He wrote the treatise Libro dell’arte del danzare (1455), which contains descriptions of 8 balli and 3 basse danze set to the most popular melodies of the time. He was the author of three poems: Sforzeide, Vita delle Vergine, and De proverbiorum origine. Cornazano became the model for B. Castiglione’s portrayal of the ideal courtier in Il cortegiano (1528).
