Barbaro was an Italian diplomat, cardinal and translator. His main contribution came from translating Vitruvius' De Architectura. In order to translate both the words and drawings, he worked with Palladio. Through this, Palladio was able to practice his drawing and woodworking skills, honing his skills and familiarity with De Architectura. Beyond this, Barbaro served the Republic of Venice in positions such as at the Council of Trent. This information is from http://architectura.cesr.univ-tours.fr/Traite/Notice/Barbaro1556.asp?par... and “A new general biographical dictionary, Volume 3”, Hugh James Rose, Henry John Rose, 1857, pg. 137. The image is from Wikimedia Commons and is from the public domain.