"As I said she is of good height and has a nice complexion, her manners are gentle, though not so winning as those of our girls, but she is very modest and would soon learn our customs. She has not fair hair, because here there are no fair women; her hair is reddish and abundant, her face rather round, but it does not displease me. Her throat is fairly elegant, but it seems a little meager, or to speak better, slight. Her bosom I could not see, as here the women are entirely covered up, but it appeared to me of good proportions. She dies not carry her head proudly like our girls, but pokes it a little forward; I think she was shy, indeed I see no fault in her save shyness. Her hands are long and delicate. In short I think the girl is much above the common, though she cannot compare with Maria, Lucrezia, and Bianca. Lorenzo has seen her and thou canst find out whether she pleases him. Whatever thou and he determine will be well done, and I shall be content. Let us leave the issue to God."
P. 108 and 109 of “Lives of the early Medici as told in their correspondence," on openlibrary.org. As translated by Janet Ross in 1910.
*correction!!! Behind this richly dressed young woman is a portait of an older woman, plainly dressed, which has been identified as /p. 72: the patron's sister, Lucrezia Tornabuoni. According to fifteenth century manuals on behaviour and manners, clothing had to be appropriate not only to social rank and income, but also to age. Lucrezia Tornabuoni, who belonged by marriage to the most powerful Florentine family, the Medici, plays here only a supporting role, with her simple gown almost hidden by a cloak and a white cloth which covers her head (from Paola Tinagli, Women in Italian Renaissance Art: Gender, Representation, Identity (Manchester, 1997).
that woman on the right is not a man. the women are part of a retinue of witnesses to the birth of John the Baptist, so you know, no men allowed. It is one of the frescoes that Ghirlandaio painted for the Tornabuoni chapel at SMN. the same woman also seems to turn up again in the Visitation fresco in the cycle, where she is standing near Giovanna degli Albizzi Tornabuoni, but I dont know who she is.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a student of these things, I never focused on the women. your blog is catching me up! thanks !
One of my sources said it was Lorenzo, although I too have my doubts, for the reason you stated. Assuming this is a different person, it lends credibility to the idea that Lorenzo's "ski-slope" nose is a family trait, and not necessarily the result of a broken nose. I'm going to have another look at his grandmother, Contessina.
ReplyDeleteHere's that source: http://www.kleio.org/en/history/famtree/medici/640d.html
ReplyDeleteyes, I was thinking family trait too. I'd stay away from the kleio site, the woman is a shoddy scholar. I've heard of her, she wrote a ridiculous book about the identity of the Mona Lisa.
ReplyDeleteGood to know . . . thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks to a sharp and knowledgeable reader, I've continued to research and can now correctly (I think!) identify the second figure! See the *note in the original post.
ReplyDelete