The Decameron · Character

Buffalmacco

A Florentine painter whose chief art is the elaborate prank, forever luring the gullible Calandrino toward imaginary heliotropes and phantom fortunes.

supporting

Also known as Quoth Buffalmacco, Meanwhile Buffalmacco

First appearance: The Fifth Story

As a supporting figure in The Decameron, Buffalmacco is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Another painter and accomplice in the trick; he pretends to be angry at Calandrino for leaving them.

In the storyThe Third StoryOpen this moment free

See Buffalmacco in The Third Story Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Buffalmacco belongs to that trio of painters — with Bruno and the hapless Calandrino — whose practical jokes give the Decameron some of its loudest laughter. Where Bruno schemes, Buffalmacco executes with a straight face, and their friendship is really a shared appetite for watching a simple man believe the absurd. He matters because his tricks turn the collection's comic cruelty into a mirror: the clever feast, the credulous pay, and the reader is invited to laugh along.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Buffalmacco sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Buffalmacco in The Fifth Story

Character Web

11 connections

A slice of how Buffalmacco sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Psychological
Other

Character groups

Pranks and Gullibility
Love and Deception

+6 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

In this story, the emotional and psychological peak occurs when Lisa, a lowborn apothecary’s daughter, is cons…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Calandrino
psychological · negative
Buffalmacco, along with Bruno, constantly tricks and exploits the naive Calandrino for… How this plays out →
Calandrino
psychological · negative
Buffalmacco, along with Bruno, constantly tricks and exploits the naive Calandrino for… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Buffalmacco in The Fifth Story

In the story

Buffalmacco appears across 6 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Third Story
Another painter and accomplice in the trick; he pretends to be angry at Calandrino for leaving them.
The Fifth Story
The third prankster; hides under the bench and physically pulls down the judge's breeches.
The Sixth Story
Bruno's accomplice in stealing the pig and carrying out the deception.
The Ninth Story
A painter who throws Master Simone into a trench of ordure and later pretends to have been beaten.
The Third Story
A co-conspirator who pretends Calandrino looks ill to further the ruse.
The Fifth Story
Participates in the scheme to deceive Calandrino alongside Bruno.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Buffalmacco unlock in the free preview.

See Buffalmacco in The Fifth Story

See Buffalmacco in The Third Story