Renaissance Marriages, between opulence and politics

Published: 2008 - December/2009 - January, Cultural and Artistic Paths

As in all eras, even in the magnificent Italian Renaissance marriages sanctioned alliances, strengthened political agreements and had to show “erga omnes”( rights towards all) in the political power of a particular family. More than during any other historical period, however, the renaissance nobility invested in these occasions’ money and resources to commission precious works of art, which offer today an amazing insight and understanding of the times.
The exhibition “Art and Love in Renaissance Italy”(Arte e Amore nell’ Italia del Rinascimento), on show at the Metropolitan Museum of New York until 16th February, shows around 150 works of art , dated between 1400 and 1500, which were created by major Italian artists to celebrate love and marriage. The exhibition, developed by Andrea Bayer, a curator of the Department of European Pictures, is found in the gallery on the second floor of the museum and includes refined examples of majolica and jewellery, portraits and paintings praising love and fertility, rare and important pieces of renaissance crystal, decorated chests, changing tables, paintings and prints of amorous subjects. It concerns objects offered as gifts to the newlyweds by rich and influential guests, such as Lorenzo The Magnificent, a leading figure in the Florentine Renaissance. “To prepare this exhibition we have drawn principally from the resources of the Metropolitan involving nine different departments and choosing many objects – recounts Andrea Bayer – that were made to celebrate a wedding; we have understood that a large majority of these important marriages were used to strengthen alliances, for dynastic motives, in short they were decided by parents and the families”. A clear example is shown in the frescoes by Botticelli “Nastagio degli Onesti”, a wedding gift given by Lorenzo the Magnificent for the marriage celebrated in 1483, between Giannozzo Pucci and Lucrezia Bini. “Looking carefully at the work you can find – explains the curator of the exhibition – portraits of the families of the bride and groom, just like the coat of arms of the relative families”.
However, works representing pure love, sometimes ambiguously, are also present. The ceramics of the “Belle Donne”, which would be real and true tokens of love, or the “Ritratto di Laura” for which Giorgione was commissioned by “Messer Giacomo”, probably intended as a tribute to his lover. A strong Venetian influence is also evident: for instance two great works by Titian are present in the exhibition: from the Prado Museum in Madrid the work “La Venere e l’organista”, while the Borghese Gallery in Rome have loaned the marvelous painting “Venere che benda Cupido”.
One particular section, named “Profane Love”, and presented by Linda Wolk-Simon, curator of the Department of drawings and prints at the Metropolitan, is concerned in exploring the story of erotic art in the Renaissance, through a collection of rare works of art whose subject is sexuality.
“It is unbelievable how much is spent on these new weddings, habits have become so disgusting”, complained Leonardo Bruni nearly five centuries ago, in a letter sent to Poggio Bracciolini. An observation that remains relevant even now. “ If Leonardo Bruni was alive today he would confirm this criticism, especially in this climate of crisis , in view of ceremonies where too much is spent: but while today only flowers and expensive clothes that will never be worn again remain, at least in those days – concludes Andrea Bayer – it wasn’t all ephemeral”.