‎Gaia Prignano‎
‎Musical Images at the Court of Alfonso I d'Este. Patronage and Self-Representation in Early Sixteenth-Century Ferrara‎

‎, Brepols, 2022 Paperback, vi + 230 pages, Size:216 x 280 mm, Illustrations:15 b/w, 36 col., 7 musical examples, Language: English. ISBN 9782503599984.‎

Reference : 64704

‎Summary Alfonso I d'Este ruled Ferrara from 1505 to 1534. His passionate patronage raised the arts and music to unprecedented heights despite frequent wars and chronic economic difficulties. His reign was characterized by a stunning proliferation of sacred and profane musical images, reflecting the central role played by music in his personal life and the city as a whole. Musical elements featured in works commissioned not only by the Duke himself but also by other members of his family, prominent members of the nobility, and the highest-ranking religious orders, whose collective love of music led to fruitful ?dialogue?. The book addresses the rich musical imaginary at the court of Alfonso I, investigating the identity, laudatory, moral, and allegorical meanings ascribed to musical images. It explores the network of shared knowledge and values underpinning the creation of these works, analysing their distinctive use in courtly dynamics. This exceptional corpus of images offers a broad overview of iconographic themes, often steeped in humanistic references, in which various forms of music are present at different levels. Most of these artworks, which include masterpieces by Titian, Bellini, Dosso Dossi, and Antonio Lombardo, are examined here for the first time through a musical-iconographic approach. Special attention is focused on the mythological iconographic program of the Duke's lost studiolo (the Camerino delle Pitture), which has also been reconstructed in a new interactive virtual tour, enhanced by original musical content. Finally, the book includes the first complete catalogue documenting musical iconography in Ferrara under Alfonso I. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures Abbreviations Premise Introduction I. A Constellation of Musical Images I.1. What more worthy recreation than Music? I.2. Courtly fantasies, humanistic enigmas I.3. Garofalo and music in Ferrara I.4. A musical homage II. Alfonso I d'Este between Ancient and Modern, Myth and Reality II.1. An eclectic duke, in the testimonies of the time II.2. Dionysius and Vulcan in the Studio dei Marmi II.2.1. The dawn of a 'Dionysian stoicism' II.2.2. Alfonso, author of his own success II.3. Dosso Dossi's Allegory of Music II.4. The Camerino delle Pitture II.4.1. The iconographic program II.4.2. Music in the Camerino II.4.2.1. Bacchanal of the Andrians III. The Rediscovered Treasure III.1. From dismantling to reconstruction III.2. The digital Camerino Catalogue Preface Sheets Index of iconographic themes Index of musical instruments and elements Index of patrons Index of authors Index of original locations Index of actual locations Appendix Bibliography Index‎