A Renaissance Tapestry Quotes

“Ravenna produced an engraving of a monster early in the sixteenth century that had the sad head of the baby Christ who sensed his tragic destiny, a rhinoceros born in the middle of his head, wings instead of arms, and the genitalia of both sexes, reflecting early alchemy’s androgynyous ideal. The monster’s torso ends in feathers, a large eye in the knee and one huge claw in the place of feet. It was claimed to be a prophecy of the destruction of Italy by the French; yet the letter Y and the cross inscribed on the body promised ultimate peace and harmony. This sad-faced monster and others like it were used as anti-papal caricatures by Protestants, the repellant features, emblematic of the decadence of the Church. The distorted, incomprehensible bodies were also sources of steadier study and led to tentative investigations of primitive genetics, early questionings of gynecology and obsetrics.”
― Kate Simon, A Renaissance Tapestry: The Gonzaga of Mantua

“Gonzaga were aware of, though seemingly undisturbed by, the rise of a strong merchant class financially outreaching the aristocracy, the hordes of Protestants in the north; and the renewed ambition and drive of the king of France.”
― Kate Simon, A Renaissance Tapestry: The Gonzaga of Mantua

“Among the freest women were the singers and actresses of travelling companies, the most capable groups attached for long periods to one court or another, as in Mantua and Ferrara.”
― Kate Simon, A Renaissance Tapestry: The Gonzaga of Mantua

“The volatile politics of Italy acquired additional complications at the end of the fifteenth century. Charles VIII had died in the spring of 1498, leaving as his successor Louis XII, formerly the duke of Valois and Orleans and, through his descent from Valentino Visconti, a claimant to the duchy of Milan. Old treaties were exhumed and new theatres penned, their ultimate effect being to cut Italy to bits.”
― Kate Simon, A Renaissance Tapestry: The Gonzaga of Mantua