DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42861#0115
HIS DEVOTION TO ISABELLA 83
bella’s wedding, and again at that of Beatrice at
Milan, where, although past forty years of age, he
was pronounced by general consent to be the most
splendid figure in all that brilliant company.1 After
this, the influence of his mother, who had married the
Moro’s half-brother Tristan Sforza, and the marked
favour shown him by Lodovico, induced him to settle
at Milan, where he played a leading part in court
and carnival festivities during Beatrice’s lifetime.
But, although he rarely visited Mantua, he still
remained deeply attached to Isabella, whose devoted
slave he professed himself and with whom he kept
up an animated correspondence. He addresses her
habitually as Madonna unica mia, his beloved patrona
and signoria, and speaks of her in his letters to others
as la mia Illustrissima Isabella. And on one memor-
able occasion, when a discussion arose at the Moro’s
palace of Vigevano on the illustrious women of the
day, Niccolo da Correggio ventured to speak of the
Marchesa as the first lady in the world—la prima
donna del mondo?
In February 1491, Niccolo was present at the
fetes held at Ferrara in honour of Alfonso d’Este and
Anna Sforza’s marriage, and on this occasion showed
Isabella a complete collection of his works in manu-
script, with a dedicatory epistle to herself, destined to
be published at some future date. At the same time
he promised her a new poem of his own composition,
as well as a translation of one of Virgil’s eclogues.
In the course of that spring he was sent by Lodo-
vico on a mission to France, and before his departure,
1 T. Chalcus, Residua, p. 95.
2 Luzio, Niccolo da Correggio, in Giorn. St. d. Lett. It., vol. xxi.
pp. 239-241.
bella’s wedding, and again at that of Beatrice at
Milan, where, although past forty years of age, he
was pronounced by general consent to be the most
splendid figure in all that brilliant company.1 After
this, the influence of his mother, who had married the
Moro’s half-brother Tristan Sforza, and the marked
favour shown him by Lodovico, induced him to settle
at Milan, where he played a leading part in court
and carnival festivities during Beatrice’s lifetime.
But, although he rarely visited Mantua, he still
remained deeply attached to Isabella, whose devoted
slave he professed himself and with whom he kept
up an animated correspondence. He addresses her
habitually as Madonna unica mia, his beloved patrona
and signoria, and speaks of her in his letters to others
as la mia Illustrissima Isabella. And on one memor-
able occasion, when a discussion arose at the Moro’s
palace of Vigevano on the illustrious women of the
day, Niccolo da Correggio ventured to speak of the
Marchesa as the first lady in the world—la prima
donna del mondo?
In February 1491, Niccolo was present at the
fetes held at Ferrara in honour of Alfonso d’Este and
Anna Sforza’s marriage, and on this occasion showed
Isabella a complete collection of his works in manu-
script, with a dedicatory epistle to herself, destined to
be published at some future date. At the same time
he promised her a new poem of his own composition,
as well as a translation of one of Virgil’s eclogues.
In the course of that spring he was sent by Lodo-
vico on a mission to France, and before his departure,
1 T. Chalcus, Residua, p. 95.
2 Luzio, Niccolo da Correggio, in Giorn. St. d. Lett. It., vol. xxi.
pp. 239-241.