. Men and manners of old Florence. portrait, according to long-established tradi-tion, is that of Tullia of Arragon, although the wordsduae sacrum Joannis caput obtinuit, engraved uponthe marble base on which the fair lady leans her arm,have also given rise to the supposition that it repre-sents Salome. In this case, however, laurels wouldbe out of place, and nothing in the portrait itselipoints to it as being the vindictive daughter oiHerodias. But seeing that the picture formerly be-longed to a convent of nuns, from one of whom CouniTosio purchased it about the year 1829, some thirt)years af
. Men and manners of old Florence. portrait, according to long-established tradi-tion, is that of Tullia of Arragon, although the wordsduae sacrum Joannis caput obtinuit, engraved uponthe marble base on which the fair lady leans her arm,have also given rise to the supposition that it repre-sents Salome. In this case, however, laurels wouldbe out of place, and nothing in the portrait itselipoints to it as being the vindictive daughter oiHerodias. But seeing that the picture formerly be-longed to a convent of nuns, from one of whom CouniTosio purchased it about the year 1829, some thirt)years after the suppression of the religious bodies, ilis not improbable that the inscription alluding tcSalome was nothing more than a pious fib added b)the nuns themselves for the purpose of concealingunder a name well known in sacred history onerendered all too famous in profane chronicles. Bonvicinos portrait must be a good likeness. Thebeauty of Tullia of Arragon was sung by a choruiof poets from all parts of Italy ; whoever saw anc. Photo] TULLIA OF ARRAGON. [Aiinari.[To face fage 144. TULLIA OF ARRAGON 145 knew her fell captive to the charm of her appearance,the sound of her voice, the courtesy of her manner,and the sweetness of her words. Her eyes seem tohave possessed some magic power; poets declaredthey were the torches wherewith Love inflamed allhearts, whilst her fair golden locks were the nethe spread to catch souls. TuUia of Arragon was a famous beauty and apoetess of some merit in her day, a lady who figuredunder her own or fictitious names as the heroine ofcountless songs, tales, and sonnets. But it was notonly as a beauty and a poetess that she was famous,for documents of unquestionable authority place itbeyond doubt that she was a woman who, followingin the maternal footsteps, turned her beauty to pro-fitable uses. But she was no vulgar courtesan ; farfrom it. Pietro Aretinos portrait of Zaffetta mightwell describe Tullia : The methods you employ arefar removed from a
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Keywords: ., bo, bookauthorbiagiguido18551925, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900
