Power, Gender, and Cultural Production in the Court of Caterina Sforza (1463-1509)

FAIN: FT-53635-05

Joyce de Vries
Auburn University (Auburn, AL 36849-0001)

My project focuses on the collection and patronage practices of Caterina Sforza and cultural production and consumption within her court. I argue that visual and material culture was fundamental in Sforza’s self-creation as a magnificent and indomitable regent in late 15th-century Italy. Within my analysis, I reveal the complexities and paradoxes of Renaissance women’s agency and sexuality; argue that provincial courts provide information crucial to our understanding of the relationship between politics and culture; and demonstrate that a comprehensive study of the princely courts requires a broad range of visual and material sources and interdisciplinary methods. I am seeking support for the final stage of work on this book project.