LECTURE 1 "Married"
Married, Mistress or Mortuary: Women’s Portraits..
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1h 3m
During the Renaissance, marriages among the upper classes were business deals, brokered across courts throughout the peninsula. In order to know what one’s future spouse would look like (or to make a choice), prospective suitors relied on portraits sent to them. To celebrate a successful union, marriage portraits were then commissioned, either celebrating the couple or the woman’s fertility. This class will examine how we can identify and read engagement and marriage portraits from the Renaissance.
Up Next in Married, Mistress or Mortuary: Women’s Portraits..
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LECTURE 2 "Mistress"
Dr. Meghan Callahan
Whether married or single, Renaissance men looked to mistresses to amuse them, enhance their status or provide sons if their own wives could not provide them. Their status was commemorated in portraits by some of the most famous artists of the day. Some of the women were pro...
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LECTURE 3 "Mortuary"
Dr. Meghan Callahan
Once deceased, a woman moved into the realm of memory. If she had brought money and connections to the man’s family, and provided him an heir (or several), she could be commemorated in painting or a tomb. Some women made sure to incorporate themselves into memorial displays f...
