.
Portrait of a woman (thought to be Lucrezia Borgia): Bartolomeo Veneto (1470-1531), 1520-25, tempera and oil on poplar panel, 44 x 35 cm (Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt)
That pale face stretches across the centuries
It is so subtle and yielding; yet innocent,
Her name is Lucretia Borgia.
Yes, I know. I knew her brother Cesare
Once. But only for a short time.
Stevie Smith (1902-1971): Yes, I know, from Poems, 1962
It is so subtle and yielding; yet innocent,
Her name is Lucretia Borgia.
Yes, I know. I knew her brother Cesare
Once. But only for a short time.
Stevie Smith (1902-1971): Yes, I know, from Poems, 1962
Portrait of a woman (thought to be Lucrezia Borgia), detail: Bartolomeo Veneto, 1520-25, tempera and oil on poplar panel (Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt)
Portrait of a woman (thought to be Lucrezia Borgia), detail: Bartolomeo Veneto, 1520-25, tempera and oil on poplar panel (Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt)
The Disputation of St Catherine (detail: Lucrezia Borgia as St. Catherine of Alexandria): Bernardino di Betto (Il Pinturicchio) (1454-1513), 1492-94, fresco with gold leaf (Borgia apartments, Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican)
The Disputation of St Catherine: Bernardino di Betto (Il Pinturiccio), 1492-94, fresco with gold leaf (Borgia apartments, Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican)
Profile portrait of Cesare Borgia: believed to be a copy of an original contemporary painting by Bartolomeo Veneto (1470-1531) , c. 1500-10 (Palazzo Venezia, Rome)
Portrait of a Gentleman (aka Cesare Borgia): Altobello Melone (1490-1543). c. 1500-1524, oil on panel, 58.1 x 48.2 cm (Galleria dell'Accademia Carrara, Bergamo)