When you think of the Renaissance, what do you imagine? The first thing that comes to mind is probably artwork , like the Sistine Chapel ceiling for example. Or maybe you think of the very manly looking women that were featured in some of the paintings of this era...or the very buff baby Jesuses. But one of the first things that pop into mind is most likely Leonardo da Vinci, the famous “Renaissance man” and amazing polymath who painted the famous smirk on the great Mona Lisa. What if i told you that throughout Leonardo’s life and all during the Renaissance, a woman was lying in wait to make her grand entrance into the world of art? Isabella d’Este was able to break the courtly and gendered stereotypes of her time to pursue art at a level equal to the men of her age, despite the glass ceilings holding her back. What if I told you about the first Renaissance woman, Isabella d’Este?

 

For our entire lives, we’ve been given one version of history, and if you’re here you probably know what version I’m talking about. But what about the ladies’ side? welcome to What's in a Woman? where we uncover the hidden half of history. I’m Shelby Mickler.

 

To start us off, it’s best to probably just go from the very beginning. Isabella d’Este was born into nobility to a Duke in Italy and it was soon recognized that she was quite a remarkable child. Even her uncle said that “if she were not his niece, he would like to make her his bride!” Creepy as a sentiment that may be to say about a three year old, it just goes to prove how clever and enchanting Isabella truly was. This charm would later help her successfully break gender stereotypes without so much as causing anyone to bat an eye.

 

Francis Ames-Lewis, an Isabella d’Este scholar, points out that Isabella’s mother seems to have had certain ambitions regarding her daughter’s intellectual and cultural prowess. Isabella was educated with a humanist curriculum, and was constantly surrounded by art from masters all over Europe. She quickly learned how to appreciate and even critique this art at an extremely early age. She was also educated alongside her brothers; this was unusual for the time, because women were not usually formally educated, let alone alongside their male counterparts. While boys were taught more typical school subjects, girls were taught how to behave in a court. These teachings revolved around learning desirable skills such as painting, music, and conversation.

 

However, as Isabella grew in age, her desire to break out of the mold set forth by society grew as well. She began this lifelong journey by crafting a persona that would be able to effectively set her apart from other court ladies. She accomplished this by doing something that many would have frowned upon during her time. She was smart.

 

Hold up. I know what you’re thinking: why was being smart such a bad thing? Well, during the Renaissance, people (especially court ladies and gents) followed very strict social expectations. These expectations were set forth by Baldassare Castiglione in his work appropriately titled, The Courtier. This book was basically a guide for courtly fellows and ladies to follow if they were involved in royal or noble courts. In this guide, Castiglione is very specific about how ladies should act, especially around the presence of men. He writes that women should be intelligent—but only insofar as to provide engaging conversation to men. And she should never show more intelligence than men.

 

Pretty gross, right? Isabella apparently thought so too. She didn’t give much thought to trying to remain within these constraints placed on women—but it’s important to note that she did not exactly blast through them, either. Isabella seemed to know that she had to carefully approach the concept of her own intellectual and sexual freedom. Rose Marie San Juan, who conducted extensive research on the topic of Isabella’s place in the court, writes that Isabella studied Latin and read classical texts so that she could participate alongside male court poets and demonstrate her verbal and written skill, and this was, quote, “Visible enough to receive attention inside and outside the court.”

 

I know that in today’s world of "cancel culture," "attention" could mean something very bad. You’d think that Isabella’s divergent behavior might come with some backlash, but her charm really helped her pull these types of things off with little to no bad feelings that we know of. In fact, in many texts she is celebrated—nearly worshipped—for her intellect, grandeur, and charm.

 

So yes, Isabella wanted to be seen as equal to men. Indeed, her plans and pursuits were to work alongside men in the realm of art patronage. Now, let’s take a moment here to unpack what that means. 

 

It being the Renaissance, you’ve probably already guessed that art was a pretty big deal back then. Well, you’re right! One of the most obvious ways to tell a noble person’s intelligence, ranking, and status was by their art collection.

 

Isabella wanted this status. She wanted to be the best and most sought after art patron of her time. But Isabella knew she was a woman, and because she was a woman she would most likely never rise to surpass her male counterparts. The question is, then…how did she do it?

 

Well, first, Isabella made a very bold move. She built her very own studio. 

 

Big deal, right? Actually, it kind of was! At the time, studioli were very male-centric spaces; only men had them, and women were not, under any circumstances, allowed inside. Men claimed to designate these spaces to study, education, and art…but, to be quite blunt, for some they were essentially porn rooms. These men of the Renaissance hoarded mythological art—and, if you know anything about art history or even art in general, you can probably guess why. Mythological art contained a lot of nudity. And women, if you can guess, were supposed to be perfect, chaste little angels, per Castiglione’s treatise, so they were not exactly encouraged to collect such sinful pieces. 

 

Men literally barred ladies from entering their beloved studios. In fact, a famous novel from the Renaissance by Alberti titled Della Famiglia reflects this cultural point by having one of the characters explain, quote, “I never gave my wife permission to enter my study, either with me or alone.”

 

But dear Isabella, after building several years of trust between fellow aristocrats and successfully introducing her borderline rebellious persona, felt that she was in a strong enough position in the court to build one of these studios for herself.

And, apparently, she was.

 

Ames-Lewis explains the cultural and social significance of studioli by saying that “Possession and decoration of a studiolo implied a level of intellectual aspiration and achievement and…allowed Isabella to emulate her male peers and compete with them on their own ground.” 

Isabella was aware, as was most everyone else by now, that her self-presentation was far from traditional. Building her studiolo sent a very loud message stating, "I am not to be underestimated."

 

And underestimated she was most certainly not. 

 

As you can probably guess, shortly after building her studiolo she began collecting a unique mix of mythological and religious art and antiques. As she began her art collection, it became quite obvious that she was not just messing around. Isabella quickly started a vast and impressive collection, one that Juan says was previously only pursued on such a scale by male members of the family. Imagine that, right?

 

Isabella’s collection of mythological art was indeed shocking, but people were less offended and more just impressed by her determination—and her good taste.

 

A second step Isabella took to announce her readiness to step onto male territory was adopting a personal emblem and motto, called an impresa.

 

Her motto was one penned by Mario Equicola, a recognized humanist scholar and one of Isabella’s courtiers. It was “nec spe nec metu,” which roughly translates to “Neither hope nor fear.” This motto, according to Ames-Lewis, and I quote, “reflects her wish to retain balance and equanimity in all her activities.” Obviously, her battle towards personal equality with men and her desire to balance noble behavior with somewhat ignoble, at least for her gender, artistic desires is present in this motto.

 

Her emblem also suggested her longing to be seen as equal to men. Her emblem was developed from a musical-based sign, and added onto later to better fit, according to Ames-Lewis, quote “her ambition to be seen as equal to her male peers,” end quote. Some major features of her emblem was the roman numerals for 27, which translate in Italian to "ventisette." Apparently, the number was chosen purposefully because it is similar in sound to the phrase "vinti sete," which translates to “you are defeated.” The connection between this and Isabella’s wishes to “defeat” men is pretty obvious. She also later added a sheaf of white tickets in a lottery urn, which Ames-Lewis suggests means “that she had tried several remedies to obtain the peace of her soul.” This peace of her soul, I think we can assume, probably has something to do with being powerful and influential alongside, or apparently even more so, than men.

 

Adopting an impresa was not uncommon for court women in the Renaissance; however, scholars note that the creation of an impresa was at the time a notably cryptic, elaborate, and obviously intellectual activity. They were essentially used as advertisements for a person’s ability to think critically and creatively. Ames-Lewis notes that Isabella definitely dove headfirst into this complicated social practice, with much more commitment than her female counterparts. Pursuing this important aspect of her public portrayal was necessary to aid her in appearing confident, intelligent, and ready to take on the challenges of collecting art alongside men while breaking through the stereotypes of submission projected onto court women.

 

You see, Isabella was not just a determined damsel looking to make her way in the world of art collecting. She was actually extremely good at it! She quickly garnered an impressive reputation among both artists and aristocrats alike for her amazing choice of art and antiques to display in her studiolo. Three artists of note that she received special attentions from are Ludovico Ariosto, Pietro Perugino, and, of course, Leonardo Da Vinci himself. I’ll walk you through the importance of each of these artists towards the construction of her public persona as we go along.

 

So, we left off introducing some of the artists that had a big influence on Isabella’s public persona. First, Ludovico Ariosto was a writer and the author of a hugely influential epic poem titled “Orlando Furioso." In this poem, Ariosto lists praise of the d’Este family through several cantos of poetry. Many scholars note from the letters that the two exchanged that Ariosto seemed to have a particularly friendly relationship with Isabella, and his writing her into his poem ensured that Isabella would be his patron. Ariosto begins his long lines of praise by calling her the "Great Founding Matron of the Este Dynasty." The poem reads as such, and I quote:

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To hear of one of thy famed race prepare,

Whom liberal studies and good works engage;

Of whom, I know not well, if she more fair

May be entitled, or more chaste and sage;

The noble-minded Isabel, who, where

It stands on Mincius' bank, in other age

Shall gild the town, of Ocnus' mother hight,

With her own glorious rays by day and night;

 

Where, with her worthiest consort she will strain,

In honoured and in splendid rivalry,

Which best shall prize the virtues' goodly train,

And widest ope the gates to courtesy.

If he by Taro, and in Naples' reign,

('Tis said), from Gauls delivered Italy,

'Twill be replied. Penelope the chaste,

As such, was not beneath Ulysses placed. (Ariosto, Canto 13 LIX-LX)

 

Lots of words, I know, but hang in there with me while we unpack this. Essentially, in these two cantos, Ariosto applauds Isabella for her beauty and brilliance, and even compares her to Penelope, Ulysses’s famously faithful wife. If you need some additional explanation on that bit, faithfulness is obviously linked to chastity, which, as you already know, was a pretty big deal for ladies back then. He also calls her this despite her collection of explicit mythological art and use of a studiolo. In the poem as a whole, Ariosto also makes sure to give Isabella her own space by separating her description from the men’s.

 

You can imagine that this high praise and honor pleased Isabella a great deal. She spent a lot of time separating her public persona from her husband and brothers, and from other male patrons and aristocrats. And the best part is, Ariosto did not prose this flowery poetry just for the clout; he held genuine respect for Isabella, and they seemed to be close friends, according to their correspondence. 

 

Pietro Perugino was another very important artist for both Isabellas patronage career, and her construction of her public persona. Perugino was an artist who really valued Isabella’s patronage and was constantly looking for her approval and praise—almost to the point of sounding a bit pathetic at times. His work for her helped cement her position as a woman collecting mythological art, while still remaining respectable and not the sex-crazed monster some may have took her for that is if she were not so, so excellent at her job.

 

Isabella commissioned Perugino to paint a work titled the Battle of Love and Chastity. You can probably draw from the title alone how important this was to Isabella’s personal image. The painting visualized Isabella’s struggle between the traditional depiction of the submissive court woman and her desires to be taken seriously as an art collector.

 

Isabella was super specific in how she wanted this painting laid out and what materials she wanted Perugino to use. In one of the many letters that have been saved from Isabella, she writes to him, 

 

"Our poetic invention is a battle of Chastity against Lasciviousness, that is to say, Pallas and Diana fighting vigorously against Venus and Cupid…beyond these four deities, the most chaste nymphs in the trains of Pallas and Diana have to fight fiercely with a lascivious crowd of fauns, satyrs, and several thousand cupids…I am sending you all these details in a small drawing, so that with both the written description and the drawing you will be able to consider my wishes in this matter."

 

Juan notes that Isabella’s commissioning of this painting demonstrated her struggle to quote “retain a precarious balance between eloquence and a respectable sexual identity,” end quote. This was definitely a problem for Isabella; as a woman collecting mythological art, all eyes were on her to make the right decision in what art she decided to commission and collect.

 

The painting itself is pretty impressive. Just as Isabella requested, the two groups are shown fighting a violent battle—chastity and lustfulness. Diana and her famous band of virgins, all modestly clothed in bright red sashes, battle valiantly against Venus and her lustful cupids and horny little satyrs, who, in contrast, are all quite naked. Diana’s girls seem to be winning, aside from a few of them being undressed and dragged away in the foreground. The meaning behind this painting is pretty hard to miss, but Isabella wanted it that way. She wanted to make clear that despite the questionable content of the art she collected, she still supported a chaste and respectable lifestyle. The Battle of Love and Chastity was a perfect way to show that Isabella wanted to align herself with the interests and intellects of men, while still maintaining a certain feminine elegance.

 

Perugino seemed very aware of how important this piece was for Isabella. He wrote to her many times asking for her approval on several aspects of the painting while it was in production. In one letter, he begs for her praise, saying, 

 

"I hope I have used sufficient diligence to satisfy both your exalted ladyship and my honor and I humbly beseech God to grant me the grace of having pleased your ladyship, because I have the greatest desire both to serve and please you in whatever I can; and thus I ever offer myself to your exalted ladyship as a good servant and friend."

 

It is obvious that Perugino had great respect for Isabella, and recognized the influence she held in the world of patronage and art. He seemed aware that he was working on a landmark piece for Isabella; and indeed it remains one that Isabella scholars turn towards to help describe the mix of mythological and religious art that Isabella collected, and the overall themes that she strove to depict.

 

Finally, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. We’re going to talk a little bit about Leonardo da Vinci.

 

It is noted that Leonardo had a slightly more aloof relationship with Isabella than other artists of his time, most likely due to his eccentric and distracted nature. Leonardo was a polymath, and was not just committed to art, so his interests were often split between many projects at a time. However, Leonardo still produced several works under Isabella’s patronage, giving evidence to her powerful voice being able to sway even the great da Vinci.

 

Leonardo, as I’m sure you know, was and is one of the most famous Renaissance men of all time, and Isabella knew that acquiring work from him would only bolster her reputation as an art expert. Her letters reflected this by displaying flattering and exaggeratedly reverent language in an attempt to have him notice and produce work for her. At one point she even asked Leonardo to essentially set his own price for a certain Christ-figure to be painted, showing that Isabella was prepared to offer a degree of license unusual for the patron of a Renaissance painter. Yet another excerpt from Isabella’s letter collection, for example, reads:

 

"If you please me in my great desire, know that apart from the payment which you yourself will determine, I will be so indebted that I should not think of anything else but gratifying you, and from now on I am ready to be at your service. I look forward to your desired reply and await your pleasure."

 

You can tell that this, compared to the letter she wrote for Perugino, is pretty dramatic in its attempt to please. Perhaps she knew of Leonardo’s absent-minded habits of switching between projects, and thought that flattery might grab his attention enough to have him paint for her.

 

Somewhat surprisingly, given how much Isabella pestered Leonardo for something (anything at all), Leonardo reportedly showed no impatience towards Isabella and was consistently courteous and wished to serve her well. Leonardo understood that Isabella held great prestige in the art realm by this point in her life, and even Isabella recognized that she would be of great help to Leonardo’s career.

 

Leonardo eventually painted Salvator Mundi for Isabella, which was an image of Christ, as well as two portraits of herself.

 

Okay, I have to take a side note here. Of course we all know there are plenty of theories regarding the identity of the woman in the Mona Lisa—from being an average old noblewoman to being Leonardo himself dressed in drag—however some scholars actually believe that Isabella d’Este may have been the subject for that painting!

​

You see, a lot of scholars have taken note of several features of a sketch that Leonardo made of Isabella and how similar it is to the Mona Lisa. The slope of the nose, curling of the hairline, strangely elusive smirk, even the folded hands, the outfit, the foreshortening of the turned shoulders—they’re all present in Isabella’s portrait sketch. The only real difference is that in the sketch, Isabella’s face is turned to show her profile versus facing the audience head on. This along with another of Leonardo’s paintings of Isabella that was discovered within the last decade point strongly, both stylistically and based on other images of her, that Isabella may be the mysterious Mona Lisa.

 

I know that we’ll never truly know. However, even the paintings we know Leonardo did for Isabella show that he payed his respects to the Marchess of Mantua frequently and saw her as a highly influential leader of culture and art. Why else would he work for her so often?

 

Here is where we make a bit of a shift, because Isabella was not just involved in art patronage and cultural influence. No; Isabella wanted more. So, once she had established herself as a cultural and social figure of significance, she decided to move onto more challenging arenas to infiltrate: politics.

​

Now, granted, Isabella was technically a politician, since she was the wife of the Marquess of Mantua, Francesco Gonzaga, but once again, keep in mind that women were more to be seen, not heard—unless, that is, a man wants to hear her.

 

But Francesco and Isabella’s relationship seemed to be based on different terms. Isabella and Francesco both collected art, and found joy in sending each other songs or art pieces that they thought the other person would enjoy. Eventually, Isabella became the acknowledged family expert on various arts; so much so, in fact, that her husband and even her son began begging for her approval in their own collections. That’s definitely not something you hear about in history every day, do you?

 

Of course the natural progression of things—between the cultural and social respect, connections with other art patrons who were politicians, and otherwise being famous and respected person she was—ended up allowing Isabella to interject herself into politics. Even so you’ll probably still be a little surprised when I tell you that Isabella actually ended up taking over as ruler of Mantua. And no one stopped her!

 

This is partially because she and her husband Francesco were such a good team. Isabella and Francesco worked closely together for many years, both in art patronage and politics, which created a unique relationship, both in their marriage and in their political alliance. Francesco actually went out of his way to make sure Isabella stayed on top of Mantua’s juicy political gossip.

 

For example, Francesco purposefully used courtiers who were familiar with his wife to send messages and relay news so that they would go to Isabella with the information first. There is one known courtier named Capilupi who was loved by both Francesco and Isabella, and who was frequently used to carry secret communication to and from Francesco. One interesting note is that this courtier was often sent to Milan, where Isabella was admired much more than Francesco was, in order to collect and pass on diplomatic information.

 

Now, it goes without saying that politics was mainly a man’s business. It was no common courtesy to keep one’s wife involved in the government happenings of your noble city. Isabella’s knowledge of and power within this realm grew solely out of the reputation she had built for herself in the world of art patronage. This only goes to show how intertwined these two arenas were.

 

Anyway. Back to the story! As it were, Francesco wasn’t the only powerful man who doted and adored his wife. Many of Francesco’s powerful friends admired her as well. In fact, I will read a letter that was written about Isabella from one of Francesco’s political allies.

 

“I pray you attend to governing yourself well and advise yourself with those who love you. With your illustrious lady consort, you can be sure not to err, not with those she promises you can trust. You can be sure that Her Ladyship knows all of us and knows everyone’s loyalties and feelings. I also beseech You illustrious Lordship to keep her good company and keep her content…because in truth as well as being useful to your body and soul, it does you great honour and pleases all of Italy, and those who persuade you otherwise are traitors and outright rogues.”

 

Strong words, huh? These were feelings that were communally shared between Francesco’s respected friends and allies.

Francesco took this advice to heart, and pretty much gave Isabella whatever she wanted—such as, say, the complete control of Mantua while he was away. No big deal. And when Francesco was captured during a war, Isabella took his place as ruler of Mantua for eleven months—and even after he returned, ill and near to death, Isabella took his place in the political realm, acting as his stand-in in the wake of great conflict. Isabella’s presence became so common in courtrooms and among governments that it led to rumors that Francesco had actually died! She eventually held so much prestige that politicians and Francesco’s allies sought her protection in the political arena, looking to her for influence and approval on their political agendas. One cardinal called her “not only the most glorious but the most powerful woman there ever was in your house.”

 

Francesco died of syphilis in March 1519, recognizing that his wife had eclipsed him in power, authority, and influence. He named her regent of Mantua until their son came of age, and she ruled the city of eleven years. Her death occurred in 1539; she was grieved greatly.

 

Isabella d’Este held nearly all of Italy in her fist for nearly all of her adult life as the leader in art, patronage, politics, and nobility. Yet, you don’t learn about her in school when you study the Renaissance; she’s sometimes mentioned alongside Leonardo da Vinci, but rarely so. Why is this? Isabella’s letters remain well-preserved, and the art pieces she collected and commissioned are relatively popular in the artistic realm. Apparently, even though Isabella was able to evade her own time’s sexism, so it seems, she was unable to escape history’s male-centered gaze.

 

I hope you enjoyed this episode of What’s in a Woman? To learn more about Isabella and her amazing life, check out Julia Ady’s Isabella d’Este: Marchioness of Mantua, Francis Ames Lewis’s Isabella and Leonardo: The Artistic Relationship between Isabella d’Este and Leonardo da Vinci, and Sarah Cockram’s Isabella d’Este and Francesco Gonzaga: Power Sharing at the Italian Renaissance Court at your local library. Or, check out our website at for a full reading list from this month’s episode.

 

Don’t be so down; we’ll be back next month! we’re heading across the Atlantic from Italy in the 1500s to Harlem, New York City in the 1940s to visit miss Gladys Bentley, a non-binary black lesbian musician who preformed bawdy covers of songs from the mid 20th century and was famous for her hilarious and sensual song and dances. Tune in next time; see you then.