05/17/2026
๐๐ Happy Birthday to Isabella dโEste, one of the most important cultural and political figures of the Italian Renaissance!
Born on 17 May 1474, Isabella received a formidable education at Ferrara before her marriage to Francesco II Gonzaga made her co-regent of Mantua. A successful diplomat and political operator, Isabella was also an influential art collector, a fashion trendsetter, an accomplished musician, and a patron of artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Titian, as well as writers including Ariosto, Bandello, and Castiglione. She was also a prolific writer herself, with over 15,000 of her letters surviving today that document her astonishing life.
To learn more, read Deanna Shemekโs ๐๐ฏ ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด ๐๐น๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ: ๐๐ด๐ข๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ข ๐ฅโ๐๐ด๐ต๐ฆโ๐ด ๐๐ฆ๐ช๐จ๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด, available now at https://pubs.crrs.ca/products/es46! Recommend this book to a librarian or use promo code HAPPYBDAY for 20% off!
โDeanna Shemek is, without a doubt, the worldโs leading scholar on Isabella dโEste. [โฆ] The knowledge and theoretical expertise that Shemek exhibits in this volume are matched, in my mind, by the profound humanity that all her chapters display, making it invaluable to its readers.โ โ Maria Galli Stampino, University of Miami
โDeanna Shemekโs marvelous study of Isabellaโs correspondence, the product of many years working with this immense archive, gives us a fresh and compelling portrait of one of the most fascinating and important figures in Renaissance Italy.โ โ Paula Findlen, Stanford University
โDeanna Shemekโs insightful and authoritative study of Isabella dโEste makes a major contribution to our understanding of this multi-faceted figure. Shemekโs deft analysis of her extensive correspondence illuminates how skillfully Isabella used the epistolary art to craft and manage her persona and her relationships.โ โ Meredith Ray, University of Delaware
