Isabella D Este In The Ducal Palace In Mantua

Isabella d’Este (Ferrara 1474 – Mantua 1539) was already defined in her lifetime as “The first lady of the world”, and emains today one of the most brilliant characters of the Italian Renaissance. The first-born daughter of Duke Ercole of Ferrara and Eleonora of Aragon, at only six years of age was betrothed to Francesco II Gonzaga, heir of the Lords of Mantua. At sixteen, when she arrived in Mantua, she created one of the most culturally refined courts of the Renaissance. Driven by her insatiable desire for all things of antiquity, she collected in her Studiolo a precious assortment of classical artifacts. Fully aware of her extraordinary virtues, both physical and intellectual, she trusted the most illustrious artist of her time to represent her, and was portrayed by both Leonardo da Vinci and Titian – a privilege ot bestowed upon any king, Pope, or Emperor. A demanding and discerning patron, she entrusted Andrea Mantegna, Lorenzo Costa, Pietro Perugino and Correggio to create a cycle of paintings forher Studiolo. As a refined trend-setter, she formed the fashion of her time according to her own tastes, and became a point of reference not only for all of the Italian courts, but also for aristocrats throughout Europe. From her astrological chart and emblems to her portraits and the canvases created specifically for her Studiolo, this book contains several clear and original perspectives that highlight and better define the profile of Isabella. Here we have a new view of a Renaissance woman.

Case studies of private art collections recorded during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries in Mantua. This work seeks to show how the collectors' taste changed during this period and how these changes are reflected in the collections' display, and also seeks to contribute to the understanding of the original context of works of art in sixteenth and early seventeenth century private houses in a courtly city.

Isabella d’Este, Marchioness of Mantua (1474-1539), is one of the most studied figures of Renaissance Italy, as an epitome of Renaissance court culture and as a woman having an unusually prominent role in the politics of her day. This biography provides a well-rounded account of the full range of her activities and interests from her childhood to her final years as a dowager, and considers Isabella d’Este not as an icon but as a woman of her time and place in the world. It covers all aspects of her life including her relationship with her parents and siblings as well as with her husband and children; her interest in literature and music, painting and antiquities; her political and diplomatic activities; her concern with fashion and jewellery; her relations with other women; and her love of travel. In this book, grounded in an understanding of the context of the Italy of her day, the typical interests and behaviour of women of Isabella d’Este’s status within Renaissance Italy are distinguished from those that were unique to her, such as the elaborate apartments that she created for herself and her extensive surviving correspondence, which provides insights into all aspects of life in the major courts of northern Italy, centres of Renaissance culture. Providing fresh perspectives on one of the most famous figures of Renaissance Italy, Isabella d’Este will be of great interest to undergraduates and graduates of early modern history, gender studies, renaissance studies and art history.

Isabella D'Este, the Marchioness of Mantua (1474-1539) was one of the dazzling figures of the Italian Renaissance, playing the Renaissance game with an expertise that outflanked Popes and Emperors, using her brains, her charm, and her unswerving purpose to psych her opponents. This is the first biography of an important Renaissance figure. It is above all as a patron of art and letters that Isabella D'Este will be remembered. In this respect she deserves a place with the most enlightened princes of the Renaissance, with Lorenzo de Medici and Lodovico Sforza. This book provides a thorough examination of D'Este's life, and a detailed account of an intriguing woman of the Italian Renaissance, with illustrations and family trees. Illustrations include a portrait by Leonardo Da Vinci, and another by Titian of Isabella dressed in full regalia.

Nel 1524 Eleonora Gonzaga invia da Urbino a Mantova, in dono alla madre Isabella d'Este, una "credenza" di ceramiche appositamente create dal più grande ceramista dell'epoca, Nicola d'Urbino. I ventiquattro pezzi della credenza originale, autentici capolavori oggi sparsi nei musei e nelle collezioni private di tutto il mondo, sono stati accuratamente riprodotti da Ester Mantovani, rendendo possibile ammirarli a distanza di secoli. Al catalogo della mostra sono premessi un ricco saggio sulle "Ceramiche a Mantova al tempo dei Gonzaga" (M. Palvarini Gobio Casali), un profilo di Isabella (D. Ferrari), la ricostruzione delle vicende della credenza (V. Taylor) e un saggio sulla creazione delle interpetazioni contemporanee (E. Mantovani). Il volume è realizzato interamente a colori e comprende la traduzione integrale in lingua inglese dei testi.