Domenico Ruffino

Domenico named in his son's marriage, part 1.

Domenico named in his son's marriage, part 2.

Nicoleta's death.

Domenico is currently the earliest Ruffini from whom we can prove our descent. Evidence on his life comes from the Sassari atti notarili, the marriage certificate of his son Girolamo Ruffinu in the top two pictures on the right and the death record of his daughter Nicoleta Ruffinu in the third picture on the right.

Since his daughter Nicoleta died in 1752 and his son Girolamo is married in Nule in 1790, we may suppose that Domenico was married in the 1750s or earlier, and was therefore born a generation before that, in the 1730s or earlier.

Domenico appears in the Sassari atti notarili on May 29, 1752 (volume 2, 293) as "Domingo Ruffino, pintor", one of the "debitori" named pursuant to the inventory of the estate of the deceased merchant Jayme Murru. I do not appear to have an image of this page of the atti, but my image of page 307 of the same volume appears to mention Domingo in what may be another version of the same inventory.

Girolamo's marriage certificate calls his father Domenico "Dominico Ruffino" and gives his wife's name, Maria Piana. It describes them as "civitatis Sassari" (of the city of Sassari). The death record of their daughter Nicoleta also describes Domenico and Maria as "of this city." Nicoleta was buried in the parish of San Nicola, which may indicate some family association with that parish.

Domenico and Maria Francesca had at least four children:

1. Nicoleta Rufinu, who died in July 1752.

2. Maria Filippa Antonietta Nicoletta, born on August 23, 1752 and baptized the following day. Her godparents were the nobles Don Giuseppe Quesada and Margherita Quessa. Given the name of her younger sister, she presumably died prior to May 1756.

3. Girolamo Ruffinu.

4. Maria Rita Nicolosa Antonia Filippa Ruffino, born on May 24, 1756, and baptized the same day. Her godparents were Salvatore Capitta and Maria Angela Gerin. Maria died on July 22, 1757.

Circumstantial evidence suggests that Domenico, a painter, may have been related to the Neapolitan painter Girolamo Ruffini, who lived in Sassari at the same time, whose wife was from the same parish, and whose mother's name was Nicoletta. It is possible that Domenico and Girolamo were brothers, which if true would make Domenico the son of Santo Rufino.