Married, Mistress or Mortuary: Women’s Portraits..
Married, Mistress or Mortuary: Women’s Portraits in the Renaissance
Dr. Meghan Callahan
During the Renaissance, upper-class women were commemorated in art three times in their life: when they were about to be married or just after, if they were a particularly valued mistress, or after they died. Depending on their status, their portraits were sent to future husbands, hidden behind curtains, and displayed in private family chapels. Once passed down as heirlooms, many of these portraits are now displayed anonymously in museums across the world.
This course will examine how we can identify stages of women’s lives through portraiture, how we might identify them, and what such portraits can tell us about life for women in Renaissance Italy.
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LECTURE 1 "Married"
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, m...
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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...
