Visit of Beatrice and her mother to Venice--Letters of Lodovico to his
wife--Reception of the duchesses by the Doge at S. Clemente--Their
triumphal entry--Procession and _fêtes_ in the Grand Canal--Letter of
Beatrice to her husband--The palace of the Dukes of Ferrara in Venice.
1493
The spring of 1493, as we have already said, proved a turning-point in
Lodovico Sforza's policy. And it also marked a new period in the life of
Beatrice d'Este. Up to this time the young duchess was a bright and
joyous child, intellectual and cultivated like the other ladies of her
family, but eager, above all, to enjoy the splendour and gaiety of her
new life, to taste of every pleasure, and fling herself into every
passing amusement. But now she appears in a new light. For the first
time, on this visit to Venice, she takes a leading part in political
affairs, and comes before the Doge and Senate as her husband's
ambassador and spokeswoman. Here we see this princess, who was not yet
eighteen years of age, assuming the character of orator and diplomatist,
and revealing these talents which excited the admiration of the Emperor
Maximilian and made him pronounce her unlike all other women.
In selecting his young wife for this important mission, Lodovico had
acted with his usual prudence and forethought. He saw her remarkable
powers of mind, and trusted implicitly in her womanly tact and charm.
When the Venetian Senate first heard that Lodovico was to visit Ferrara,
they announced their intention of sending ambassadors to request him to
accompany the two duchesses to Venice. But the Moro felt that, at this
critical moment of his negotiations with both Charles VIII. and
Maximilian, his presence at Venice might lead to awkward questions and
excite the suspicion of these princes. So he preferred to send his wife,
whose journey with her mother and brother would appear rather in the
light of a party of pleasure, and whose youth and charms would disarm
suspicion, and at the same time exert a beneficial influence on the
counsels of the Republic. In the written instructions which he gave
Tuttavilla and the other envoys who accompanied Beatrice, they were
desired to lay especial stress on the honour which the rulers of Milan
were doing the Signory of Venice by the choice of so exalted a lady to
be their messenger.
"The presence of the most illustrious Duchess of Bari is the best proof
their Excellencies can have of the singular satisfaction with which the
Dukes of Milan and Bari regard the conclusion of this league. In
sending, the one his aunt, the other his wife, who is the dearest thing
that he possesses, to congratulate the Signory on this auspicious
occasion, they show you how great and exceptional is the pleasure which
they feel at this alliance between our two states."
On Saturday, the 25th of May, the Duchess of Ferrara, with her two
daughters, Beatrice Duchess of Bari and Madonna Anna Sforza, and her son
Alfonso, accompanied by a large retinue numbering in all 1200 persons,
sailed down the Po into the Adriatic, on their way to Venice. Beatrice
was accompanied by Antonio Trivulzio, Bishop of Como, Francesco Sforza
and his wife, and several other Milanese gentlemen of rank, besides the
four ambassadors already named, and in her train were the famous Flemish
tenor Cordier and the other court singers of the ducal chapel. On the
20th the party reached Chioggia, where they were entertained in the
houses of noble Venetian families, and on the following day sailed up
between the islands, under the long sandy shore of the Lido, into the
port of Venice. At Malamocco, the fort on the southern point of Lido
guarding the entrance of the harbour, they were received by a deputation
of patricians, while at S. Clemente the old Doge, Agostino Barbarigo,
himself came out to meet them in the bucentaur, followed by an immense
company of boats and gondolas in festive array.
"Of all cities that I have ever known, Venice is the one where the
greatest honour is paid to strangers," wrote Philippe de Commines, when,
a year and a half later, he came to Venice as ambassador from his most
Christian Majesty. And on this occasion the welcome offered to the wife
of the powerful Moro was grander, and the _fêtes_ given in her honour
were more splendid, than had been seen for many years.
"Never," wrote Taddeo de' Vimercati, the Milanese ambassador, "was lord
or lady received with greater joy, or more magnificently entertained
than the duchess has been on this occasion." And in his letters to his
wife Isabella, the Marquis of Mantua, who had arrived at Venice three
days earlier, and was among the spectators of his mother and
sister-in-law's triumphal entry, dilates on the extraordinary honours
that were paid them, on the vast concourse of people assembled to greet
their arrival, and the exultation with which they were received. He
describes the procession of barks and gondolas, filled with ladies in
gay toilettes, that were seen rowing across the lagoon many hours before
the arrival of the illustrious visitors, and tells how the old Doge--the
same whose venerable figure is familiar to us in Giovanni Bellini's
altar-piece, at Murano--made his way to S. Clemente early in the
afternoon, and retired to rest for an hour or two, in a chamber prepared
for his Serene Highness, until the Ferrarese bucentaurs were seen in the
distance. Gianfrancesco dwells on the number and beauty of the gaily
decorated barges and triremes, and describes the magnificent loggia hung
with tapestries and wreaths of flowers which had been erected in front
of the _palazzo_ occupied by the Milanese ambassador, at the entrance of
the Canal Grande. But what impressed him most of all were the thundering
salvoes of artillery which burst from the fleet of galleys, from the
arsenal and the Milanese embassy, at one and the same moment, as about
five o'clock the Ferrarese bucentaurs reached Malamocco and entered the
Venetian waters. "The whole air," he writes, "was filled with confusion,
when these demonstrations of great rejoicing burst simultaneously upon
our ears."
Isabella d'Este, who had herself lately returned from Venice and was now
with her beloved sister-in-law, Elizabeth Duchess of Urbino, at the
villa of Porto, devoured her husband's letters greedily, although she
professed indifference, and wrote to her mother, "To me all these
ceremonies seem very much of the same nature, and are all alike very
tedious and monotonous."
There was one point, however, upon which Gianfrancesco confessed himself
unable to gratify his wife and sister's curiosity. "I will not attempt,"
he says, "to describe the gowns and ornaments worn by these duchesses
and Madonna Anna, this being quite out of my line, and will only tell
you that all three of them appeared resplendent with the most precious
jewels."[40] Fortunately, this omission was supplied by one of
Beatrice's secretaries, Niccolo de' Negri, who, in a letter to Lodovico,
informed him, on the day of her arrival at Venice, that the duchess wore
her gold brocade, embroidered with crimson doves, with a jewelled
feather in her cap, and a rope of pearls and diamonds round her neck, to
which the priceless ruby known as El Spigo was attached as pendant. But
the best account we have of Beatrice's visit to Venice is contained in
four of her own letters addressed to her husband, which have been
preserved in the archives of Milan. They were originally published
twenty years ago by Molmenti, who, however, omitted some portions which
are given here, and transcribed some of the dates incorrectly.
Unfortunately, several of the letters in which Beatrice daily recorded
the events of this memorable week for her lord's benefit are missing.
But although the narrative is incomplete, it is none the less of rare
value and interest. The first two letters after her departure from
Ferrara are missing, but in their stead we have two notes from Lodovico,
which show how tenderly he thought of his absent wife, and how carefully
he followed her movements. On the evening of the 25th, he wrote the
letter that has been already quoted, from Belriguardo; on the 26th, he
sent her a second note in reply to the letters which he had just
received. In one of these Beatrice had apparently given a lively account
of her triumphs at cards in the games which she had played with her
companions on board the bucentaur. Like Isabella d'Este and most of her
contemporaries, the duchess was very fond of _scartino_ and other
fashionable card-games, and had the reputation of being exceptionally
lucky. In the course of the year 1494, Lodovico informed Girolamo
Tuttavilla, who was at one time treasurer to the duchess, that his wife
had won no less than three thousand ducats, all of which she declared
had been spent in alms. "When I remarked that this seemed a very large
sum, the duchess confessed she had paid some of it to embroiderers and
other craftsmen. Even then I fail to see how she could have disposed of
more than a few hundred ducats. At this rate I fear she will be unable
to buy lands or build new houses, but when you return from Naples, we
must try and carry out some plans better worthy of your name."
On this occasion Beatrice seems to have won a considerable sum of money
at the game of _britino_ during her journey to Chioggia, and had
apparently informed her husband of her good luck, for he writes in
reply--
"MY DEAREST WIFE,
"It has given me the greatest pleasure to hear from your last letters
that you have been winning your companions' money, and since I conclude
you have been playing at _buttino_, I hope you will remember to keep
account of your winnings, so that you may keep the money for yourself.
But I only say this in case you win, as if you lose, I do not care to
hear about it. Commend me to the illustrious Madonna Duchessa, our
common mother, as well as to Don Alfonso and Madonna Anna, and salute
all the councillors for me.
"Your most affectionate husband,
LODOVICUS MARIA SFORTIA.[41]
Belriguardo, 26th of May, 1493."
The first of Beatrice's letters that we have was written on the evening
of her arrival at her father's house in Venice and is dated May 27.
"MOST ILLUSTRIOUS PRINCE AND EXCELLENT LORD, MY DEAREST HUSBAND,
"I wrote to you yesterday of our arrival at Chioggia. This morning I
heard mass in a chapel of the house where I lodged. The singers
assisted, and I felt the greatest spiritual delight in hearing them,
Messer Cordier as usual doing his part very well, as he did also
yesterday morning. Certainly his singing is the greatest consolation
possible. Then we breakfasted, and at ten we entered the bucentaur,
dividing our company between the middle-sized and small bucentaur and a
few gondolas, which were prepared for us, as being safer, since the
weather was still rather stormy. My most illustrious mother, Don Alfonso
and Madonna Anna, with a very few servants, entered the small bucentaur,
and the other ladies and gentlemen travelled on the larger bucentaur, or
in small gondolas, while I entered another gondola with Signor Girolamo,
Messer Visconti, and a few others, so as to lighten the small bucentaur
and travel more comfortably, as we were assured. So we set out and
reached the port of Chioggia, where the ships began to dance. I took the
greatest delight in tossing up and down, and, by the grace of God, did
not feel the least ill effects. But I can tell you that some of our
party were very much alarmed, amongst others Signor Ursino, Niccolo de'
Negri, and Madonna Elisabetta. Even Signor Girolamo, although he had
been very frugal, felt rather uncomfortable; but no one in my gondola
was really ill, excepting Madonna Elisabetta and Cavaliere Ursino, at
the port of Chioggia. Most of the others, especially the women, were
very ill. The weather now improved so much, that we arrived at Malamocco
in quite good time. Here we found about twenty-four gentlemen, with
three well-fitted and decorated barges, one of which we entered, with as
many of our suite as it could hold, and were honourably seated in the
prow. Several Venetian gentlemen now entered our barge, and a certain
Messer Francesco Capello, clad in a long mantle of white brocade,
embroidered with large gold patterns, like your own, delivered an
oration to the effect that this illustrious Signory, having heard of
your presence at Ferrara, had sent two ambassadors to show the love they
bear you, and that now, having heard of my Lady Mother's and my own
visit to Venice, they had sent the other gentlemen who received us at
Chioggia, and now, as a further token of their affection, sent these to
Malamocco, to express the great pleasure the Signory felt at our coming,
and to inform us that the Doge himself, with the Signory and a number
of noble matrons, were about to give us welcome and do us honour to the
best of their power. My mother, with her usual modesty, begged me to
reply, but I insisted on her saying a few words, and afterwards began to
speak myself. But hardly had she finished speaking, and before I had
begun, than all the gentlemen ran up to kiss our hands, as they had done
the day before, so that I could only express my feelings by courteous
gestures.
"Then we set off towards Venice, and before we reached S. Clemente,
where the Prince was expecting us, two rafts came towards us, and
saluted us with the sound of trumpets and firing of guns, followed by
two galleys ready for battle, and other barks decked out like gardens,
which were really beautiful to see. An infinite number of boats, full of
ladies and gentlemen, now surrounded us, and escorted us all the way to
S. Clemente. Here we landed, and were conducted to a spacious pavilion
hung with drapery, where the Prince, accompanied by the members of the
Signory, met us and bade us welcome, assuring us how eagerly our
presence had been desired, and saying that my lord father the duke and
your Excellency could do him no greater pleasure than to send us, whom
he looked upon as his dear daughters. All this and much more concerning
the fatherly love which he bore us, he hoped to be able to express at a
future occasion. Then he placed my lady mother on his right and myself
on his left, with Madonna Anna next to me, and next to my mother the
Marquis of Mantua and Don Alfonso--the Marchese having arrived with the
Prince--and so he conducted us on board the bucentaur. On the way we
shook hands with all the ladies, who stood up in two rows behind the
Prince, and then sat down in the same order. All of our ladies shook
hands with the Prince, and we set out again on our journey, meeting an
infinite number of decorated galleys, boats, and barks. Among others,
there was a raft with figures of Neptune and Minerva, armed with trident
and spear, seated on either side of a hill crowned with the arms of the
Pope and our own illustrious lord, together with your own and those of
the Signory of Venice. First Neptune began to dance and gambol and throw
balls into the air to the sound of drums and tambourines, and then
Minerva did the same. Afterwards they both joined hands and danced
together. Next Minerva struck the mountain with her spear, and an olive
tree appeared. Neptune did the same with his trident, and a horse jumped
out. Then other personages appeared on the mountain with open books in
their hands, signifying that they had come to decide on the name that
was to be given to the city on the mountain, and they gave judgment in
favour of Minerva. This representation was said to signify that the
existence of states is founded on treaties of peace, and that those who
lay the foundations will give their name to future kingdoms, as Minerva
did to Athens.
"As we sailed on, we saw many other barks and galleys, all richly
decorated. Among them was one galley of armed Milanese, with a Moor in
the centre, armed with a spear, and bearing shields with the ducal arms
and your own fastened to the stern and prow. Round this Moor were
figures of Fortitude, Temperance, Justice, and Wisdom with a sceptre in
his hand, all of which made a fine pageant, and the firing of guns and
cannons at the same time sounded quite splendid.
"Besides these there were many barks representing the different arts and
crafts of Venice, very beautiful to see. And so we entered the Canal
Grande, where the Prince, who talked to us all the way with the utmost
familiarity and kindness, took great pleasure in showing us the chief
palaces of this noble city, and pointing out the ladies, who appeared
glittering with jewels at all the balconies and windows, besides the
great company--about a hundred and thirty in number--who were already
with us in the bucentaur. All the palaces were richly adorned, and
certainly it was a magnificent sight. The Prince showed us all the chief
objects along the canal, until we reached my father's palace, where we
are lodged, and where the Prince insisted on landing and conducting us
to our rooms, although my mother and I begged him not to take this
trouble. We found all the palace hung with tapestries, and the beds
covered with satin draperies adorned with the ducal arms and those of
your Excellency. And the rooms and hall are hung with Sforzesca colours,
so you see that in point of good entertainment, good company, and good
living we could desire nothing better. This evening three gentlemen
came to visit me in the name of the Signory, and made the most splendid
offers, beyond all that could have been expected, for my pleasure and
convenience. To-morrow, if the audience has taken place, you shall hear
more. I commend myself to your Highness.[42]
"Venice, May 27, 1493."
"_Era stupendissima cesa a vedere!_ It was a magnificent sight!"
exclaimed Beatrice. And indeed the scene was one which would have
stirred a less impressionable nature than that of this young princess,
who was so keenly alive to joy and beauty, and who now for the first
time saw "this most triumphant city of the world," in all the loveliness
of the summer evening. Both the Milanese ambassador and the Marquis of
Mantua said they had never seen the like. The blue waters of the lagoon
swarmed with boats and gondolas decked with flowers and streamers of the
gayest hues, the Venetian Gothic palaces along the canal were hung with
Indian and Persian carpets. The rich colours of Oriental stuffs relieved
the dazzling whiteness of Istrian stone, and festoons of fresh leaves
and flowers were twisted round their columns of porphyry and serpentine.
From each carved balcony and painted window fair Venetian ladies looked
down in their sumptuous robes, glittering with gold and gems, and the
air rang with the _Vivas_ of the crowds who filled the gondolas or
flocked along the Riva to see the gay pageant. It was a spectacle such
as Venice alone could offer in these days of her glory, when the Canal
Grande was, as Commines justly said, the finest street in the whole
world.
And the Palazzo to which the old Doge conducted Beatrice and her mother
was the oldest and one of the grandest in that long avenue of palaces.
Originally built for the Pesaro family, it had been presented to Niccolo
II. of Este in gratitude for his services when, a hundred years before,
he had supplied the Republic with corn during the long war against
Genoa. Since then the house had been repeatedly sequestered during the
wars between Venice and Ferrara, and had only been restored to Duke
Ercole after the conclusion of the peace of Bagnolo. Now its ancient
walls, dating as far back as the year 900, had been freshly decorated
with frescoes, and the long arcades and loggias, with their massive
pillars and Byzantine capitals of grey marble, were enriched with
shields carved with the unicorns and lilies of the house of Este.
Within, the spacious halls were lavishly adorned with gilding and
variegated marble, with fine pictures and the painted _cassoni_ and
chairs which we still admire on old Venetian palaces, while the
tapestries and hangings bearing Sforza devices and the Moro's favourite
mottoes met Beatrice's eyes at every turn. As she wrote in her joyous
letters to her husband, there was nothing lacking that could charm the
eyes or please the mind, and the courtesy and hospitality of the
venerable old Doge and of the Venetian Signory left nothing to be
desired.
FOOTNOTES:
[40] "Storia di Venezia nella Vita privata," p. 60.
[41] Luzio-Renier, _op. cit._, p. 376.
[42] Molmenti, _op. cit._, p. 693.