The status of Mistresses and Elite women can be seen in paintings that were done of certain women in The Renaissance.
[ from top left to bottom right - Lucrezia Donati, Catherine de Medici, Giulia Farnese, Beatrice D'este, Cecilia Gallerani, Clarice Orsini, Diane de Poitiers, Vannozza dei Cattanei]
• Whilst Mistresses are seen to be painted in a more provocative manner and with more striking beauty, it indicates that they were held in a high regard by many painters and those they were in favour with. However, the wives or elite women are also painted in a certain style, either to convey strength within the family, piety or how much power they had too. They were also seen to be portrayed as more virtuous.
• Both types of women had an important role within society, without many of the Elite Women/Wives there would not have been such significant and strong families within Italy (and Europe). Yet without mistresses there would not have been the “golden age for bastards.” It could also be noted that the paintings of the mistresses are never titled with their names, to indicate that they were not to be frequently spoken about at the time.
• For example, it is indicated that Cecilia Gallerani was mainly only in favour before Ludovico Sforza’s marriage to Beatrice D’Este conveying that once the marriage occurred, he was less interested in Gallerani. The fact that she was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci when she was pregnant with Ludovico’s child and soon gave birth to him. The society in which they lived in found it more important to preserve Virtue which is why the mistress is portrayed in one way and the wife another. The painting of Beatrice shows that she has a bigger role than Cecilia within the life of Ludovico and it was painted in 1494 and was to convey how she had given him heirs. This proves that she was honoured in some way by her husband. [ although, not exactly husband of the year now is he???]
• Next is the famous mistresses Vannozza Dei Cattanei and Giulia Farnese which have been widely shown in tv shows and films of the Borgia family. Whilst Vannozza was replaced by Giulia, she was able to become a business woman in her own right. It indicated that even after losing favour, a mistress did not have to disappear from history, as it has been shown that Vannozza was the owner of inns and controlled most of them herself. It is indicated that Giulia replaced Vannozza when she was deemed ‘too old’. It indicates that age played a large part in whether a mistress held favour or not. In the paintings Giulia is represented as being ‘virtuous’ due to the unicorn, whilst the painting of Vannozza may not even be her, but it has been claimed to be. But it's okay, because Vannozza was a 'kick-ass' business woman and so was probably better off without Pope Borgia.
• Clarice Orsini, being the daughter of a wealthy family and wife to Lorenzo “the magnificent” Medici, is portrayed as a woman of high status and with power within her family. However, it is indicated that Clarice was treated as an outsider by her new family, especially her mother-in-law, when she married and she was treated in a way that meant her only role was to have children for Lorenzo [ I mean, women are ten times worse when it comes to being nasty, am I right ladies?]. Lucrezia Donati, in comparison, is portrayed in the painting as very beautiful, which is different to the portrait of Clarice since it is unlikely that Clarice’s portrait was being done to capture beauty.
• A wider European example of the Mistress/Wife Dynamic is between Catherine de Medici and Diane de Poitiers. Catherine is known to be one of the most formidable queens in France, though whilst her husband was still alive, she struggled for power. It is indicated that Henry II was only gained interest in Catherine after Diane encouraged him to have children with her. Whilst they were fighting for power, the two also had to work together when it came to such things. The paintings indicate how the women were very different in status and how Catherine was clearly held at a much higher level of respect than Diane when it came to virtue.
By Amy Burns,
Queen of the Historical Queens
All paintings used or named: Leonardo da Vinici, 'Lady with the Ermine'
Master of the Pala Sforzesca, 'Pala Sforzesca'
Innocenzo da Imola, 'Portrait of a Woman'
Luca Longhi, 'The Lady and the Unicorn'
Domenico Ghirlandaio, 'Presumed Portrait of Clarice Orsini'
Sandro Botticelli, 'Fortitude'
Francois Clouet,'Portrait of Catherine De’Medici” & “A Lady in her Bath'
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