Beatrice D'Este Duchess of Milan 1475-1497 A Study of the Renaissance

New York, NY: Dutton, 1899. First American edition. Hardcover. Good. First American edition, 1899. Maroon linen, with gilt spine and Dent emblem on front board. A handsome copy. Wear at head, heel, corners and edges. Contemporary signature on front endpaper "Emma F. Friend", no other owner marks. A captivaing and heroic figure, D'este was one of the important personalities of the time and, despite her short life, she was a major player in Italian politics. A woman of culture, an important patron, a leader in fashion: alongside her husband she made Milan one of the greatest capitals of the European Renaissance. With her own determination and bellicose nature, she was the soul of the Milanese resistance against the enemy French during the first of the Italian Wars, when her intervention was able to repel the threats of the Duke of Orléans, on the verge of conquering Milan. Julia Cartwright was a British historian and art critic whose work focused on the Italian Renaissance.