After seeing Titian's portrait of her (above), Isabella famously said it was "so pleasing that I doubt that at the age I am represented I could have possessed all the beauty it contains." In reality, she was in her sixties at the time, and had given Titian instruction to portray herself as a much younger woman. This portrait now hangs in a museum in Vienna.
Isabella, born in 1474, was the daughter of Eleanora of Aragon d'Este, Duchess of Ferrara (see post of 12/26/15) and Ercole I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara. Her parents educated their daughters and sons equally (very unusual at the time). Isabella and her sister Beatrice both studied Latin and Greek, Roman history, music and dancing.
When Isabella was six, she was betrothed to the future fourth Marquis of Mantua, Francisco Gonzaga, and married him in 1490. Her younger sister, Beatrice, married the Duke of Milan, and the sisters visited each other often. Isabella is best remembered for her role as patron of Renaissance learning, arts and literature. Over two thousand of her letters have survived, and are a valuable resource for art historians.
When I visited Mantua last year, I was somewhat surprised to see how little acknowledgement she is given in her own home town.
At the Palazzo Ducale, we visited the Camera degli Sposi, where the frescoes--done by Mantegna and his shop--were in quite good condition, obviously restored. The frescoes were done between 1465 and 1474, and I had to content myself with just imagining Isabella being in those rooms.
The palazzo is huge--over 500 rooms--but only the few rooms around the Camera deli Sposi were open to visitors. In my opinion, it's quite a shame that this national treasure is such a neglected resource.
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