Allegory of Fortune

Isabella d'Este knew a thing or two about bad luck. A philandering husband who was out of town most of the time, the loss of three children, and oh yeah, running the government of Mantua while protecting it from invading armies while hubby was away! But she also knew Fortune can swing both ways. Our next stop is the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, CA where we find out why this majorly influential Renaissance Woman may have been the one to hire Dosso Dossi to paint this mysterious scene.

SHOW NOTES “A Long Look” theme is “Ascension” by Ron Gelinas https://youtu.be/jGEdNSNkZoo

Episode theme is “Suite in F Major” composed by Michael Praetorius. Performed by Michel Rondeau. Courtesy of musopen.org https://musopen.org/music/43633-suite-in-f-major/

Artwork information https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/822/dosso-dossi-giovanni-di-niccolo-de-lutero-allegory-of-fortune-italian-about-1530/

A Recovered ‘Fortune’ : Renaissance Work Cost $1,000, Sold for $4 Million https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-04-29-ca-849-story.html

Dosso Dossi info https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/artists/1007/dosso-dossi-giovanni-di-niccolo-de-lutero-italian-ferrarese-about-1490-1542/

Dosso Dossi: Court Painter in Renaissance Ferrara (PDF) http://resources.metmuseum.org/resources/metpublications/pdf/

Isabella info

https://isabelladeste.web.unc.edu/profile-of-isabella-deste/

https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/place_settings/isabella_d_este https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_d%27Este

“Fickle Fortune: Pinning Down Fortune in 16th Century Italy” by Megan Haddad (2019) Aleph, UCLA Undergraduate Research Journal for the Humanities and Social Sciences, 16. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9kw3v8st

Frank Sinatra singing Luck Be a Lady Tonight https://youtu.be/X69P_Vce9vw