How does Portrait of Federico II Gonzaga (Francesco Francia) elucidate its History?
Federico II Gonzaga (born 1500) was the eldest son of Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua, and his wife Isabella d'Este. During the Italian Wars, the father fell into Venetian captivity in 1509 and offered his firstborn as a hostage. At the end of July 1510, the hostage was handed over to Pope Julius II. At this handover in Bologna, the boy's portrait was painted within only 12 days by Francesco Francia as a memorial painting for his mother. The latter praised the excellent likeness, but requested a slight darkening of the hair colour.The handing over of the hostage resulted in a dependency of the House of Gonzaga (Marquisate of Mantua) on the Holy League (1511), which is why the Gonzaga sided with the League in the subsequent battles against her long-time allies France and the House of Este (Duchy of Ferrara). In 1511 Isabella d'Este (married Gonzaga) commissioned Francesco Francia again, this time to paint her own portrait. In 1512 she gave the two Francia portraits, Mother and Child, to an acquaintance in Ferrara, who exhibited them both as counterparts for discussion at evening events. These events are suspected to have been a political image making by Isabella d'Estes after the betrayal of her homeland.In 1872, the boy's portrait reappeared at a Christie's Auction in London, and in 1903 it was identified by Herbert Cook as the Francia portrait of the young Federico II Gonzaga. In 1913, the painting finally entered the Metropolitan Museum as a donation from Benjamin Altman.
Ferrara Herbert Cook Holy League (1511) House of Este Bologna Francesco II Gonzaga Julius II Pope Julius II Christie's House of Gonzaga Isabella d'Este Mantua Francesco Francia Federico II Gonzaga Benjamin Altman Italian Wars