DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42861#0176
140
OF BEATRICE D’ESTE
heard was in his possession, the Marchesa sent her
word that her lord could not part with the picture,
which was dear to him for the love which he bore
to Ferrante’s memory, but would have it copied for
her by Francesco Bonsignori.
This sad event was soon followed by the death of
Gilbert de Montpensier, who breathed his last at
Pozzuoli on the 11th of November, and Isabella was
called upon to console his widow, Chiara Gonzaga,
while at the same time she had to condole with
Antonia del Balzo, on the loss of her husband Gian-
francesco of Bozzolo. A still more tragic event
darkened the Christmas festival. This was the
sudden death of the Marchesa’s own sister, Beatrice
d’Este, Duchess of Milan, and wife of Lodovico
Sforza. The poor young princess, who was only
twenty-one, gave birth to a still-born son on the night
of the 2nd of January in the Castello of Milan, and
died herself an hour afterwards. The sad news, which
Francesco had to break to his wife, came as a terrible
shock to Isabella, who had lately seen her sister in
the bloom of youth and fulness of prosperity. At
first she was overwhelmed with grief, and her hus-
band said that he had never seen his wife so utterly
broken down. “ I know not,” she wrote to her
father, “ how I can ever find comfort.” Fortunately
Elisabetta of Urbino had arrived at Mantua a week
before, and the companionship of this beloved sister-
in-law was Isabella’s best consolation. When the
Duchess returned to Urbino at the end of April,
both Isabella and her husband accompanied her to
Ferrara and spent some weeks with her father and
brothers. That year the Feast of St. George was
shorn of its usual splendour. There were no races
OF BEATRICE D’ESTE
heard was in his possession, the Marchesa sent her
word that her lord could not part with the picture,
which was dear to him for the love which he bore
to Ferrante’s memory, but would have it copied for
her by Francesco Bonsignori.
This sad event was soon followed by the death of
Gilbert de Montpensier, who breathed his last at
Pozzuoli on the 11th of November, and Isabella was
called upon to console his widow, Chiara Gonzaga,
while at the same time she had to condole with
Antonia del Balzo, on the loss of her husband Gian-
francesco of Bozzolo. A still more tragic event
darkened the Christmas festival. This was the
sudden death of the Marchesa’s own sister, Beatrice
d’Este, Duchess of Milan, and wife of Lodovico
Sforza. The poor young princess, who was only
twenty-one, gave birth to a still-born son on the night
of the 2nd of January in the Castello of Milan, and
died herself an hour afterwards. The sad news, which
Francesco had to break to his wife, came as a terrible
shock to Isabella, who had lately seen her sister in
the bloom of youth and fulness of prosperity. At
first she was overwhelmed with grief, and her hus-
band said that he had never seen his wife so utterly
broken down. “ I know not,” she wrote to her
father, “ how I can ever find comfort.” Fortunately
Elisabetta of Urbino had arrived at Mantua a week
before, and the companionship of this beloved sister-
in-law was Isabella’s best consolation. When the
Duchess returned to Urbino at the end of April,
both Isabella and her husband accompanied her to
Ferrara and spent some weeks with her father and
brothers. That year the Feast of St. George was
shorn of its usual splendour. There were no races