Birth of Beatrice's first-born son--The Duchess of Ferrara at
Milan--_Fêtes_ and rejoicings at court and in the Castello--The court
moves to Vigevano--Beatrice's wardrobe--Her son's portrait--Letters to
her mother and sister--Lodovico's plans for a visit to Ferrara and
Venice.
1493
On the 25th of January, at four o'clock on a winter's afternoon,
Beatrice gave birth to a son in the Rocchetta of the castle of Milan.
"Signor Lodovico's joy at the birth of his first-born son is beyond all
description," wrote Giacomo Trotti to his master, Duke Ercole. Duchess
Leonora was present on the occasion, and herself announced the happy
event in a letter to her daughter Isabella, who promptly sent a special
envoy with her congratulations to the Duke of Bari and her sister. A
fortnight before, Leonora had set out for Pavia, where Trotti had been
sent to meet her, and crowds shouting _Moro! Moro!_ had everywhere
hailed her arrival. Three days later, she reached Milan in time to make
the last preparations before the birth of her grandson. The child, a
fine healthy boy, received the name of Ercole, in compliment to his
grandfather, the Duke of Ferrara, but was afterwards called Maximilian,
when the emperor became his godfather after his marriage to Bianca
Sforza. The auspicious event was hailed with public rejoicings. The
bells rang for six days, and solemn processions were held, and
thanksgivings offered up in all the churches and abbeys of the Milanese.
Prisoners for debt were released, and the advent of the new-born prince
was celebrated with as great honour as if his father had been the
reigning duke. Already some of the courtiers attached to Giangaleazzo's
household began to whisper that the birth of Francesco, the little Count
of Pavia, two years before, had been celebrated with far less pomp. But
in the same week Duchess Isabella, who was residing in the _Corte
ducale_ of the Castello, gave birth to a daughter, who received the name
of Bona, so that, as Lodovico informed the foreign ambassadors, there
was double cause for rejoicings.
Full and elaborate details of the ceremonies observed on this occasion,
and of the splendid _fêtes_ that attended the recovery of the two
duchesses, were sent to Isabella d'Este at Mantua by her mother's maid
of honour, Teodora degli Angeli. Every particular of the decorations in
the rooms of the Castello, the colour of the hangings and the draperies
of the cradle, the gowns worn by the different princesses at their
successive appearances in public, was faithfully reported for Isabella's
benefit. On the eve of the young prince's birth, the sumptuous cradle
and layette prepared for his reception were shown to the Ambassadors,
chief magistrates, and nobles of Milan, and displayed on tables covered
with gold and crimson brocade, lined with Spanish cat, in the Sala del
Tesoro, adjoining Beatrice's rooms. All through the next fortnight
costly gifts for the young duchess and her new-born babe were received
from the magistrates of Milan and the chief towns of the duchy, and
principal courtiers. On Sunday, the 4th of February, the ambassadors,
councillors, magistrates and court officials, together with many noble
Milanese ladies, were invited to present their congratulations to
Beatrice, and that evening the gifts presented to her were publicly
displayed in the Sala del Tesoro. The doors of the shelves along the
walls were thrown open, and the splendid gold and silver plate, the
massive jars, bowls, vases, and dishes, which they contained, were
ranged in tiers on a stand, protected by iron bars and guarded by two
men-at-arms wearing ducal liveries. The seneschal of Lodovico's
household, Ambrogio da Corte, received the guests at the doors of the
Rocchetta, paying each of them the honours due to his rank, and
conducted them to the Sala del Tesoro. There they were received by
stewards clad in silver brocade, who led them through a suite of rooms
adorned with gilded columns and hung with white damask curtains richly
embroidered with equestrian figures and other Sforzesque devices, into
the presence of the duchess. This chamber was still more richly
decorated than the others. "Indeed, it is calculated," writes the
admiring maid of honour, "that the tapestries and hangings here are
worth 70,000 ducats." Two pages guarded the doors, and within, near the
fireplace, Duchess Leonora sat at her daughter's bedside, accompanied by
two or three ladies. Beatrice's own couch was gorgeously adorned with
draperies of mulberry colour and gold, and a crimson canopy bearing the
names of Lodovico and Beatrice in massive gold, with red and white
rosettes and a fringe of golden balls which alone was valued at 8000
ducats.
"All," exclaimed Teodora--"_bello e galante_, beyond words!"[32]
After paying their respects to the illustrious mother, the guests passed
on into the room of the new-born child--_la camera del Puttino_. Here
the walls were hung with brocades of the Sforza colours, red, white, and
blue, and tapestries, embroidered with all manner of beasts and birds
and fantastic designs. But the golden cradle itself, which had been made
in Milan, was the most beautiful thing of all, with its four slender
columns and pale blue silk canopy enriched with gold cords and fringes.
"Truly rich and elegant beyond anything that I have ever seen!" writes
the ecstatic maid of honour, whose eyes were fairly dazzled by the sight
of all these splendours, and who, as she told Isabella, was lost in
wonder and admiration at the magnificence of the Milanese court. After a
glimpse of the royal infant, sleeping under his coverlid of cloth of
gold, watched over by Beatrice's ladies, the visitors were conducted
into Signor Lodovico's hall of audience, where he received the
ambassadors and chief councillors, and through the adjoining room,
occupied by his favourite astrologer, Messer Ambrogio da
Rosate--"without whom nothing can be done here," remarks Teodora--back
to the entrance hall, where the seneschal was in waiting to escort them
to the gates.
Messer Ambrogio, as Teodora opined, had to be consulted before the
duchess was allowed to leave her bed. This was on Wednesday, the 24th of
February, on which day both the royal ladies issued from their rooms at
the same hour. "Now at length," wrote the lively maid of honour to
Isabella, "I am able to inform your Highness that the illustrious
Madonna your sister has left her room, and those poor tormented souls
whose task it has been for so many nights to bring in shawls to spread
over the presents, are at last freed from their labours."
That same day, both the young duchesses went in state to S. Maria delle
Grazie, to return thanks and praise to God for the birth of their
children. The royal ladies rode in the Duchess of Ferrara's chariot, a
sumptuous carriage hung with purple, and were accompanied by Leonora
herself and five other Sforza princesses--Alfonso d'Este's wife, Anna;
Duke Giangaleazzo's sister, Bianca Sforza; Signor Lodovico's daughter,
Bianca, the youthful bride of Galeazzo Sanseverino; Madonna
Beatrice--Niccolo da Correggio's mother--and Madonna Camilla Sforza of
Pesaro. The toilettes worn on this occasion were exceptionally rich, as
Teodora relates. "Our Madonna, Duchess Leonora, wore black, as usual,
but was very gallantly adorned with her finest jewels. The Duchess of
Bari had a lovely vest of gold brocade worked in red and blue silk, and
a blue silk mantle trimmed with long-haired fur, and her hair coiled as
usual in a silken net. Duchess Isabella wore gold brocade and green
velvet enriched with crimson cords and silver thread, and a mantle of
crimson velvet lined with grey silk. Both ladies were covered with
jewels. Madonna Anna's _camora_ was of cloth-of-gold with crimson
sleeves, lined with fur and edged with gold fringe. One fine invention
which I noticed was a new trimming made of grey lamb's wool, but there
was no end to the variety of colours and fringes or to the beauty of the
jewels."
After hearing a solemn Te Deum and other canticles very beautifully sung
by the choir of the ducal chapel, the whole party drove to the house of
Count Della Torre, who entertained the dukes and duchesses, ambassadors
and councillors, and all the chief gentlemen and ladies of the court at
a splendid banquet. On the following day the duchesses and princesses
were entertained at a feast given by Niccolo's mother, Madonna Beatrice,
in her rooms in the Castello, and appeared in fresh costumes and still
more splendid jewels. On Friday no _fête_ was given, but most of the
youthful princes and princesses went out hunting in the park, and three
stags were killed in the course of the day. Beatrice appeared in a
riding-habit of rose-tinted cloth, and a large jewel instead of a
feather in her silk hat, and rode on a black horse. Madonna Anna wore
black and gold, with a pearl-embroidered crimson hat, and her sister
Bianca also appeared on horseback, while Duchess Leonora spent the day
with old Duchess Bona in her rooms.
On Saturday a _fête_ was given at the house of Gaspare di Pusterla.
Beatrice looked particularly charming with a feather of rubies in her
hair, and a crimson satin robe embroidered with a pattern of knots and
compasses and many ribbons, "after her favourite fashion," adds Teodora.
It is these very ribbons that we still see to-day, both in the few
portraits that we have of the short-lived duchess, and in the marble
effigy upon her tomb. Isabella of Aragon appeared on this occasion, in a
gown embroidered with books and letters, a favourite device of
Renaissance ladies; while Anna Sforza was all in white, "because it was
Saturday," explained Teodora, and she had vowed to wear no colours on
that day for a certain number of weeks. This was a common practice with
many Italian princesses who had lately recovered from illness or given
birth to a child, and one to which we find frequent allusion in the
correspondence of Isabella d'Este. On Saturday all the court attended
high mass at S. Maria delle Grazie, and a last entertainment was given,
this time by Duchess Beatrice herself, in the Rocchetta.
The next day, Lodovico took his wife and mother-in-law, with the Duchess
of Milan and their other guests, to Vigevano, to enjoy a little rest and
country air. But here fresh amusements awaited them, and the splendour
of Beatrice's wardrobe and the treasures of her _camerini_ filled the
Ferrarese visitors with wonder and envy. On the 6th of March, Bernardo
Prosperi wrote to tell Isabella that our Madonna had been conducted by
the jester Mariolo over Beatrice's "_guardaroba_," and had seen all the
splendid gowns, pelisses, and mantles which had been made for her during
the last two years, about eighty-four in all, "besides many more," adds
the writer, "which your sister the duchess has in Milan." The costliness
of the materials, and the rich and intricate embroidery which covered
satins and brocades, made Leonora exclaim that she felt as if she were
in a sacristy looking at priests' vestments and altar frontals. After
examining all of these fine clothes, the duchess was taken into two
other _camerini_, where Beatrice, after the fashion of great ladies in
those days, had collected her favourite books and _object d'art_. One
cabinet was full of Murano glass of delicate shape and colour, of
porcelain dishes, and majolica from Faenza or Gubbio. Another held
ivories, crystals, and enamels engraved in the same style as Lodovico's
vases in the treasury at Milan. Perfumes and washes filled another case,
while a separate cabinet was devoted to hunting implements, dog-collars,
pouches, flasks, horns, knives, and hoods for falcons. "There was,
indeed," added Duchess Leonora's attendant, "enough to fill many shops."
The evenings at Vigevano were enlivened with music and singing, and, by
Lodovico's orders, a band of Spanish musicians who had been sent from
Rome to Milan by his brother, Cardinal Ascanio, came to play before
Beatrice and her mother, who both admired the sweet strains of their
large viols, and examined the shape and size of their instruments with
curiosity. On Sunday theatrical representations were given, and Beatrice
appeared in a wonderful new gown made of gold-striped cloth, with a
crimson vest laced with fine silver thread "arranged," wrote an admiring
lady-in-waiting, "in the most graceful fashion. This your sister wore,"
she adds, "because it was Carnival Sunday; but even now, although Lent
has begun for most of us, Carnival is not yet over for these highnesses,
since Signor Lodovico and his duchess, Messer Galeazzo, the Duke and
Duchess of Milan, and many of their courtiers, have received
dispensations from Rome to eat meat all the same."[33]
Meanwhile Beatrice's little son was growing into a strong healthy child,
and her letters are full of the beauty and perfections of her precious
babe. Again and again, in her notes to Isabella, she talks of "my son
Ercole," with all a young mother's proud delight.
"I cannot tell you," she writes to her sister, "how well Ercole is
looking, and how big and plump he has grown lately. Each time I see him
after a few days' absence, I am amazed and delighted to see how much he
has grown and improved, and I often wish that you could be here to see
him, as I am quite sure you would never be able to stop petting and
kissing him."
Isabella, on her part, wrote warmly to her sister in return, saying how
much she longed to see her beautiful boy--"_il suo bello puttino_" and
"not only to see him, but to hold him in my arms and enjoy his company
after my own fashion."
Duchess Leonora returned to Ferrara at the end of another week, and one
of Beatrice's first anxieties was to have a portrait of her child
painted for her mother. On the 16th of April, she wrote from her
favourite country house Villa Nova, where she had brought the babe to
enjoy the sweet spring air--
MOST ILLUSTRIOUS MADAMA MINE, AND DEAREST MOTHER,
"Your Highness must forgive my delay in writing to you. The reason was
that every day I have been hoping the painter would bring me the
portrait of Ercole, which my husband and I now send you by this post.
And, I can assure you, he is much bigger than this picture makes him
appear, for it is already more than a week since it was painted. But I
do not send the measure of his height, because people here tell me if I
measure him he will never grow! Or else I certainly would let you have
it. And my lord and I, both of us, commend ourselves to your Highness,
and I kiss your hand, my dearest mother.
"Your obedient servant and child,
BEATRICE SFORTIA DA ESTE,
with _my own_ hand.[34]
To the most illustrious Lady my dearest Mother,
Signora Duchessa di Ferrara."
The baby's portrait was forwarded to Mantua for Isabella's inspection,
together with a letter from her mother, saying--
"I enclose a drawing which has been sent to us from Milan, to show how
well our grandson thrives, and certainly, if we have been already told
how flourishing he is, this gives us a living witness to his beauty and
well-being. And if you ask me whether the portrait is a good one, I need
only tell you who has sent it and who is the master who has done this
drawing, and then I am sure you will be satisfied."
Leonora's words excite our wonder as to who the artist could be whose
name of itself would be enough to satisfy Isabella of the excellence of
the work. As Signor Luzio has already remarked,[35] it is impossible to
read these words without thinking that Leonardo must have been the
artist employed by Lodovico on this occasion to take a sketch of his
infant son. But the drawing of Ercole has vanished, and the painter's
name remains unknown.
Another name which recurs frequently in Beatrice's letters to both her
mother and sister at this time, is that of a Spanish embroiderer, named
Maestro Jorba, noted for his rare skill, who was in the service of the
Duchess of Ferrara, and was left by her at Vigevano in April, to design
hangings and gowns for Lodovico's wife. On the 14th of March, Jorba was
sent back to Ferrara with a letter from Beatrice to her mother,
expressing her satisfaction with his work; and in April, Leonora sent
her a new design for a _camora_ which the clever Spaniard had invented.
"I have to-night," wrote Beatrice in reply, "received the design of the
_camora_ made by Jorba, which I admire very much, and have just shown it
to my embroiderer, as your Highness advised. He remarks that the flowers
of the pattern are all the same size, and since the _camora_ will
naturally be cut narrower above than below, the flowers ought to be
altered in the same proportion. I have not yet decided what will be the
best thing to do, but thought I would tell you what Schavezi says, and
wait to hear what you advise, and then do whatever you think best."
Later in the same year, we find Maestro Jorba once more at Milan,
working for Duchess Beatrice, much to the annoyance of her sister
Isabella, who was anxious to secure the services of the skilful
embroiderer, and offered him a salary of two hundred ducats a year if he
would settle at Mantua. Jorba, however, seems to have preferred to
remain at Ferrara, and only paid occasional visits to the princesses of
Este at Milan and Mantua.
Throughout April, all the tailors and embroiderers, goldsmiths and
jewellers, in Beatrice's service were busy making preparations for a
visit which their mistress was shortly to pay to her old home. Before
Leonora left Vigevano the Moro had promised to bring his wife and child
to Ferrara in May, and had decided to send Beatrice to Venice, with her
mother Duchess Leonora, who was going to spend a few days with her son
Alfonso and his wife, at the palace of the Estes on the Canal Grande. He
had further intimated his intention of paying a visit to his
sister-in-law at Mantua on the way. Isabella, who had just accepted an
invitation from the Doge, Agostino Barbarigo, to visit Venice for the
Feast of the Ascension, was somewhat dismayed when the news reached her,
and looked forward with no little alarm to the prospect of entertaining
her splendid brother-in-law. She wrote off without delay to consult her
husband on the subject--
"Madama sends me word that Signor Lodovico has decided to visit Ferrara
in May, and gives me the list of the company who are to attend him,
which I enclose for you to see. For my part I can hardly believe it, but
shall be sorry if I am at Venice when such _fêtes_ are being held at
Ferrara. Your Highness must decide what you think is best for the honour
of our house, since when I was at Milan Signor Lodovico told me that if
he came to Ferrara he would visit Mantua on the way. No doubt you will
do what seems to be most prudent, and will let me know your wishes. But
perhaps I may be mistaken.[36]
"Mantua, 9th of April, 1493."
Isabella was still more disturbed when she heard that Lodovico intended
to send his wife to Venice. Her pride shrank from the bare notion of
appearing before the Doge and Senate at the same time as her sister,
whose sumptuous apparel and numerous suite she felt herself unable to
rival. "Nothing in the world," she wrote to Gianfrancesco, who was then
at Venice as captain-general of the Republic's forces, "will induce me
to go to Venice at the same time as my sister the duchess."
And she insisted on her desire to appear before the Doge, not as a guest
and foreign visitor, but as a daughter and servant, begging that she
might be treated without any pomp or ceremony.
Fortunately, whether from political motives, or from his usual
attention to his astrologer's advice, Lodovico deferred his visit to
Ferrara until the middle of May, and himself wrote a courteous letter to
Isabella, expressing his regret that he would after all be unable to
accept her invitation to Mantua, since he found himself obliged to visit
Parma. The marchioness, thus happily relieved from her fears, set off
for Ferrara on the 4th of May, and proceeded to Venice a week later,
having doubled the number of her retinue, and strained every nerve to
present an appearance which should not offer too marked a contrast with
Beatrice's regal splendours.
FOOTNOTES:
[32] L. Porrò in A. S. L., ix. 327.
[33] Porrò, _op. cit._, p. 330.
[34] A. Venturi in A. S. L., xii. 227.
[35] Archivio Storico Lombardo, xvii. 368.
[36] Luzio-Renier, _op. cit._, p. 365.