The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell (the author of Hamnet) will transport you back to 1500s Renaissance Italy. A conglomerate of city states before the Italy that we know today existed. A glimmering, jewel-like land of churches and palazzos, royal courts and expansive gardens.
But, we learn at the very beginning of the book that the 15-year-old duchess Lucrezia de’ Medici is fated to die. And that it is widely believed to have been at the cruel hands of her husband, the Duke of Ferrara. By the end of the first chapter, we know that Lucrezia herself is also aware that he intends to kill her.
The fifth child of the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo I de’ Medici, Lucrezia is often ignored. We get to know her not so much through her interactions with others, but rather through her inner life, which is richly complex and creative. She is a talented artist, excels at her schoolwork and often surpasses her older siblings. However, Lucrezia’s life is not her own. She must take the place of her dead sister in marriage to Alfonso, the Duke of Ferrara. And she must provide him with an heir.
Relocated to the new court, she continues her interest in creating underpaintings. Miniature artworks that are then painted over with another image layered on top, while the original painting remains secretly beneath. This small rebellion is perhaps symbolic of Lucrezia herself. No matter how much she is dressed, tamed and bejeweled into a wife, she will always be that wild, talented and clever young girl underneath. Always imprisoned, forever hoping for freedom.
The story of The Marriage Portrait draws on real historical events. And Lucrezia de’ Medici is recorded as having died in Ferrara in 1561. So we know that history demands a body. But, despite this, we still hope against hope that somehow this resilient and gifted young woman will escape her fate.
Buy The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell here.
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