Isabella D'este - Renaissance patron

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Isabella D'este - Renaissance patron

Isabella d’Este: A portrait of a female patron in Renaissance Italy

Introduction

Art defined the renaissance and the renaissance defined art. It was the product of a society, a response to both social and political circumstances and a mirror to its values as well. Although it would be impossible to derive Isabella d’Este’s exact taste, it is safe to say the rarity of an object was a driving force in a commissioned piece or a sought after item. A particular need for these slices of superiority were becoming more popular in order to convey messages of power and prestige into the public sphere.  Patrons of the Renaissance could provide high valued artefacts to the church with the expectation that they would be spiritually rewarded. Rulers could make their land and cities more visually appealing and religious orders could emphasize within the “cultic life of the city.”  Although these reasons did not apply specifically to Isabella, we can ultimately identify her as a patron whose desire for art collecting was closely correlated to her personal goal of enhancing her image or those attached to her at a personal and public level. Art collecting became into a visual tool, which allowed members of the nobility, clergy and other elite groups to create representations of their status in the collective’s subconscious. Therefore, it becomes evident how for Isabella the practices of collecting and patronage developed into outlets that gave her the capacity to present herself as a relevant figure inside the northern Italian socio-political sphere.

Raised in Ferrara and daughter of Duke Ercole d’Este and Eleonor of Aragon, Isabella d’Este was to pursue a life of cultural illumination. After moving to Mantua in 1490, she was able to learn much about art, music and most importantly collecting, thanks to the cultural exposure that came along with her family’s position and the environment in which she was raised.  The search for artists to commission and antiquities was something that ran in Isabella’s bloodline and it would not take long enough before she started to follow the steps of her relatives in regards to the practice of art collecting. Prompted her to start acquiring pieces at a relatively young age, there was a competitive push, which was driven into her by the rivalry with her brother Alfonso d’Este, who was also an avid collector. Although their tastes did vary, it was still enough to lead her along with the best patrons of the time. These experiences helped Isabella to discover how the collecting practices of the renaissance were highly linked with scholars who associated classical objects with exclusivity and intellect. Copious amounts of spending on items, which were for one’s personal viewing pleasure assisted in granting this publicly, admired position.  Thus, Isabella engagement with art collecting helped her to constantly redefine her public persona, in such a way that her taste for painting, sculpture and music would help her to portray herself as an educated, young and strong female character.

Defining Isabella as a collector  

Isabella’s searches for her collection were not only her longing for public acknowledgement, but achievements, which she herself could reflect on. Collecting was not only a form of independence that she could create for herself but also a form of expression.  The places, which allowed her to reflect on her accomplishments, were her studiolo and grotta. Both built for the purpose of having both a private and public space of admiration, these two rooms were devoted for showing her accumulation of these valuable objects.   Being able to show a private collection at one’s own leisure assisted a character of sophistication.  Her studiolo was kept as a library and it was the favoured in which she would display her collections. The walls were always adorned with paintings, (two of which were by Mantegna), and the ceiling was gilded, which complimented the visual effect of the artefacts held there.  The private nature of this room could have allowed it to manifest itself into a forbidden destination for other patrons of the time.  We could even assume that a private collection had the capability to cause word of mouth to accumulate into a desire by other art lovers to seek out and see this infamous compilation of works. This would consequently make the collection and the owner, Isabella herself, as focal points of attention in the world of art trade and collection.  

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Her grotta on the other hand contained many Greek and Latin Manuscripts alongside of French and Spanish romances. The studiolo and grotta were two different worlds for Isabella. Her grotta was a barrel-vaulted space built below the studiolo and although she did continue her collection through out both rooms, the grotta was a place where she could completely submerse herself in the literature she had been raised to love.  

Antiquities and sought after pieces from medallions to musical instruments were what she fought for. The quest of an object was her asserting herself and she would use any means ...

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