Isabella d’Este: Black, Red, Yes, No… Mask or Idol?

Abstract

Leonardo da Vinci’s chalk drawing and Francesco Francia’s, Titian’s and Rubens’ depictions of Isabella d’Este, one of the most influential female figures of Italian renaissance humanism, the first female patron of the arts in history, show considerable differences in the characteristics of the subject, although theoretically, portrait painting is the one among all genres that requires lifelike representation of physical traits the most. Although their different approaches are not lies, they are not quite true either. However, each one is true in some sense. It seems to be an impossible task to answer the question, whose truth it is; the truth of the model, the artist, the viewer or all of them combined? It may be possible that through an inquiry into the matters of ideal and materialised from, the human soul and mysteries beyond, these portrait variants together can bring us closer to a more complete understanding, through showing multiple faces of the truth. This paper wishes to provide some insight on the complex subject of the interplay between mask and work of art, persona and personality, the ideals of the artist and those of the person commissioning the work, personal taste and aesthetic values, through circumnavigating the well-known portraits of Isabella d’Este.