The humanistic dialogues On The Family by Leon Battista Alberti and On Wifely Duties by Francesco Barbero indicate that family prevailed as a social institution in a time when political and social instability was common. This can be noticed even from the well-known portrait of Battista Sforza and his wife, where her manner and apparel show modesty and docility. Reputations often depended on the behavior of the women from a certain family, meaning that the male members of the family were seen as responsible for guarding the purity and innocence of the women, all to preserve the family’s well being. Reputation was a powerful concept in the Italian Renaissance, as it could bring down an entire house if it weren’t favorable. Inside aristocratic and noble families, the primogeniture, or the firstborn son, was seen as the one to inherit everything, as women did not qualify and were therefore dependable to the male head of the family. This resulted in an unfavorable context for women as the legal framework failed to support or protect them properly due to its inconsistencies. However, Italy had a fragmented and inconsistent legal framework for marriage alongside the Roman common law ( Ius commune). The Italian Renaissance perspective on the family was closely tied to its legal framework. The Renaissance Perspective on Family Venus and Cupid by Lorenzo Lotto, 1520s, via Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Thus, women and marriage were seen as a type of currency. For example, the Florentine Monte delle doti, established in 1425 as an investment fund, was a mechanism to assist families in affording to give large dowries while also functioning as a war fund against Milan. Due to this context, the traditional role of women to bear children became weaponized in Renaissance Italy as it could determine the political power of an entire family lineage. However, because the Renaissance returned to the values of classical antiquity, society again turned to the Roman concept that defines the father of the family as patria potestas, emphasizing his power over the other members. Most of the time, lineages were loosely defined, and the institution of marriage was influenced by political, demographic, and economic factors. Fathers would marry off their daughters in order to preserve property and lineage but also to gain favor or put an end to a conflict between families. While merchants and peasants were not necessarily constrained to marry into a certain family, the stakes were higher for aristocrats. 1505-7, via Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Yorkīecause of the political instability that engulfed most Italian city-states, marriage was often used as a political asset among influential families. Marriage During the Italian Renaissance Madonna and Child by Luca Signorelli, ca. Therefore, although there weren’t many drastic changes in the role of women during this era, small steps towards gender equality enabled certain women to enjoy a new lifestyle. Italian Renaissance: Changes and Exceptions Mars and Venus United by Love by Paolo Veronese, 1570s, via Metropolitan Museum of Art, New YorkĪs with every historical period and context, change can happen little by little. Despite their difference in status, all of these women depended on a certain household, a recurring theme throughout the Renaissance when it comes to the role of women. They would fill their time with activities related to domestic life such as sewing, entertaining, and cooking. Lastly, if they were of a higher status, their life would revolve solely around the household. If they were the wives of middle-class merchants, they would run the business with their husbands and also take care of the house. If they were peasants, they worked the fields together with their husbands and took care of the household. The livelihood of women in the Italian Renaissance depended much on their social status. Oddly enough, the mentioned universal rebirth doesn’t seem to touch the status of women that much, as their rights remained still few for contemporary standards. 1565-70, via Metropolitan Museum of Art, New YorkĮven though the Renaissance is considered a period of universal rebirth, the role of women in the Italian Renaissance did not change too drastically compared with the Middle Ages. The Role of Women in the Italian Renaissance Venus and the Lute Player by Titian, ca.
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