Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index

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Click to view high resolution image Title: April: Triumph of Venus Creator: Baldassare d’Este, painter, Ercole de’Roberti, painter, Francesco del Cossa, painter, and Tura, Cosimo, painter Description: The upper register depicts a mythological scene for the month of April, which heralded new life in the form of vegetation but also in lovers’ courtships. Thus Venus, goddess of Love, appears here triumphantly pulled along the river by a pair of swans—attributes of the goddess and symbols of fidelity. In the left background, the Three Graces dance to signal the onset of spring while men and women in fifteenth-century garb kiss, embrace and play instruments. The rabbits in the scene represent sexual virility and voraciousness. The lower register depicts the bull of Taurus surrounded by symbols of the three decans of Taurus (a borrowing from Persian astrology): a woman and her son, both wearing red clothing, symbolize the creation of new things; a turbaned man holding a key symbolizes power and dominion; a man holding a serpent and a dart symbolizes profit, misery and slavery. A third register, not shown here, depicts activities of the Ferrarese court. Source: Wikimedia Commons Rights: Public domain Subject (See Also): Animals Astrology Courtship Este Family Musicians Sexuality Turbans Venus (Mythological Figure) Geographic Area: Century: 15 Date: ca. 1469-1470 Related Work: Current Location: Ferrara, Palazzo Schifanoia, Salone dei Mesi Original Location: Ferrara, Palazzo Schifanoia, Salone dei Mesi Artistic Type (Category): Digital images; Paintings Artistic Type (Material/Technique): Frescoes (paintings) Donor: Layman; Borso d’Este, Duke of Ferrara Height/Width/Length(cm): 320 cm/ 126 in/500 cm/ 196.9 in/ Inscription: Related Resources:

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