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 to achieve her goal of acquisition. Born into a time where noble women had limited access to professions and were trapped into arranged marriages, her persistent skills of negotiation would lead her to become “the most successful woman collector in a man’s world”. Public acknowledgement of the elite on a high level, whether it was through the possession of sought-after works or the representation of herself in a piece, is what she strived the most for. A status symbol of the times, these collections along with her personal incorporation was a means of immortalisation. It is of major significance to understand that Isabella’s connection with the art world was not only the one of a collector, but also the fact that she wanted to employ herself as the muse for various artists of her time. Historically speaking she did not want to be purely preserved in text form, but also desired for physical representations of herself presented and preserved. She sought to maintain the present fame and acknowledgment through material legacies in order to uphold the same status she acquired during her lifetime, and be remembered as that inside the collective memory of future generations. This practice of material immortalisation had been in practice in the Italian peninsula since Roman times, and it was a well-known trademark of social, political or economical power.
The complex cohesion between patronage and gender
Isabella d’Este acquired a reputation of being one of the most demanding patrons of her time, especially by looking at her fixation in obtaining specific items that she had set her eyes on. We can try to explain why she gained this reputation of her being an over-demanding patron as a consequence to the mere fact that she was a female stepping outside the box in a traditionally patriarchal society. In a society that was known for the extreme persistence and eagerness that was employed in order to collect what is sought after most. A woman being in a setting, where gender rules were harshly implied and followed, could stand out merely due to contrast. If this is the reasoning behind her celebrity, then Isabella was certainly going to take full advantage of this. Due to the tremendous amount of information on Isabella derived from her personal books and letters, scholars have been able to examine the life she lead and the art she pursued. Concerned with her public image, these letters have preserved her personality as a cutthroat collector. Letters to and from artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Giovanni Bellini illustrate these efforts. In the end there was no artist too great to approach. Gian Cristoforo Romano, who would do a medal in gold of Isabella in a frame of diamonds and enamel in approximately 1500, was to become her main advisor regarding the pursuit of works. As her consultant he made sure that she pursued the best bargains and ensured her determination. Yet even more importantly, Romano played an indispensable role as the mediator between male art dealers and artists that would have not taken Isabella seriously just for the fact that she was woman. In the end, she was able to overcome any gender limitations that could have reduced her art acquisition capacity, giving her the opportunity of attaining almost any piece of art she wanted, which was a luxury that other female patrons of the time did not have.
Visually, Isabella wanted to portray herself in similar way as many male noblemen did in order to imply that she was a personality with a vast social and economic power if not political. Two good examples of this are the medal done by Romano, which featured a stylized Isabella in profile and a portraiture drawn by Leonardo da Vinci. The portrait of Isabella D’este from approximately 1500 is done in black and red chalk along with yellow pastel on paper. It shows Isabella in profile but with her upper torso facing forward. Showing her in profile illustrates her need to be seen as a powerful figure along side of males who at the time often had their portraits represented in the same way on Roman coins. This type of depiction turned into an effective tool for self-advertisement, which helped them expose the political or economic power that they held in one or various Italian city-states. This was another tradition that was replicated from the Roman and Byzantine times that regained popularity during the renaissance. The portrait done of Isabella by Titian in 1536 makes her appear much younger than her actual age at the time of commission. The adjustment of her features for this retrospective representation demonstrates that Isabella did not want to be shown in her weakening state. Being around the age of sixty-three, she would rather have her self represented as a youthful, strong and keen woman who was ready and capable to accomplish her ambitious goals that would be remembered for all times. Through these portraits we see Isabella as a shining example of someone who has adhered to a renaissance notion of beauty, in a social environment where women were confined to a role in which they had to present themselves in specific and rigid roles through aesthetics, conversation and chastity among other things. Physically she met such demands, but mentally she broke barriers where a woman would usually be constrained to a more private sphere.
Defining Isabella’s personality through her collecting practices
A very unique element in Isabella’s quest for her artefacts was the passion and processes she went through in order to acquire them. It is important to note some of the exact means used in order to obtain them and what this tell us about her own personality and mindset. A case in point is one in which Isabella sought to retrieve a piece from the debris of the Bentriglio palace. Isabella negotiated to take part in a theft to obtain a Hercules and “thought nothing of charming an antique Venus and Michelangelo cupid from Cesare Borgia.” Clearly, we can see how Isabella would never doubt in using any of the resources and networking she had developed during the years in order to acquire a piece she so much desired. This is also evidence of how she used the process of acquisition as a channel through which she was able to demonstrate her power inside the elite circles. Just the fact that she was willing to flirt and deal with Cesare Borgia whose reputation of being a ruthless, cruel and extremely ambitious man it was well known, shows that she was willing to push the limits and go where her fellow art collectors would never go.
Death of other art beholders was also an opening for Isabella to seek out previously owned pieces that she desired. By attending to these deaths immediately she would gain first pick of the top available possessions. With this, she would be able to expand her collection with pieces that would have been made famous by other art collectors, so by acquiring them she would just increase de prestige of her own collection and conspicuously show her ability as very capable collector. It is said to be Isabella’s searches in Rome that lead it to become a centre for art seekers in turn leading it’s art resources to start running dry. It was no longer seen as a consumer’s heaven because of the attention Isabella and other collectors had drawn to it. In combination with this, strict rules of export brought about by the Pope did not stop Isabella. The smuggling of a table top out of Rome during this time shows that she did not even question the actual consequences of satisfying her craving. In the end, Isabella could have seen any legal or moral restraints as obstacles, the ones in her eyes were just challenges that were defying her power and abilities. Hence, it does not become surprising to find her in situations where she would be willing to break certain social norms of the time as a way in which she would display her power as a goal driven individual.
It is not the beauty of the object alone that she has the need to possess, but it is the permanent physical form of security, which she can actually touch and gaze that left her with an incurable hunger. Consequently, her public persona was developed through the acquisition of the pieces, but the piece itself became a physical trophy of her success. The implication of this, shows how for Isabella d’Este art collecting was a multiphase activity in which she was able to fulfill her desire for public acknowledgement and at the same time satisfy her love for aesthetic beauty.
Her specific taste for certain items was another factor that give us a glimpse into her psyche. A focal point for Isabella was antique and mythological themed pieces. She was unique for commissioning mythological based pieces that were brought about through a provided literary program. Often moralised to her liking, these slightly rewritten programs were to suit Isabella’s taste and in turn, present a shift from its original base. Through them, she wanted to show a beautiful message in which the moral righteousness of the time could blend in with the motive of the painting or the sculptures. Through her taste in classical themes Isabella made her level of education and knowledge be something well known. Undoubtedly she saw herself as a woman of high culture, with all the right reasons, however she always kept her modesty in place so in that way she would not be disassociated from the persona she had created for herself. This trait in Isabella’s taste that made her extraordinary among renaissance women because she deviated from the standard of secular paintings and ornamental arts that were usually collected by female patrons. Technically speaking, she would go after the same type of smaller and more feminine objets d’art that most women collectors went after, however any of the items she commissioned or pursued always had some attribute that would make reference to her own education, ideals or power. For that reason the paintings with moralized mythological themes became a clear expression of what she wanted to portray as her understanding of her own personal image, which was a woman with an eloquent character, good morals and a cultured mind.
Conclusion
In sum, we can see how art collecting happened to be Isabella d’Este’s medium of expression, through which, she was able to create and project her persona through different public and more intimate circles of Northern Italy. Through the different contents and rare pieces she acquired she was able to create an idea of prestige and nobility that was able to settle in the mind of her contemporaries and the future generations as well. Her passion in acquiring and commissioning artefacts clearly illustrate the important function that art collecting played in her life. Through it she was able to express her power and abilities in different subjects, and in that way she challenged in a very settle way the expectations that were held of women in her position at the time. Effectively she was able to become a female figure of success without being seen as a female that was outside her social or cultural niche. Finally, it is important to understand that the characteristics of an object she wanted to attain, and the means to do it became for Isabella d’Este’s the ultimate expression of freedom and power. Through her love of aesthetics she was able to collect artefacts that represented what she stand for, but even more importantly they become a physical reminder of how she was able to use her charisma, influence and intelligence to gain something she desired in a society where women were limited by various social and cultural norms.
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