How does Portrait of Doña Isabel de Requesens y Enríquez de Cardona-Anglesola elucidate its History?
The portrait of "the vicereine of Naples" was commissioned from Raphael in 1518 by Cardinal Bibbiena on behalf of Pope Leo X for Francis I of France, who collected portraits of beautiful women. Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme took the description to refer to Giovanna d'Aragona (1502 – 1575); a study in 1997 demonstrated that the subject was rather Isabel de Requesens, the wife of Ramón de Cardona, who was viceroy of Naples from 1509 to 1522. According to Vasari, Raphael sent Giulio Romano, one of his young assistants, to Naples to paint the portrait, except for the face, which he was responsible for; documentary evidence survives in Raphael's hand confirming Giulio Romano's work on this commission. The face has indeed been altered; otherwise Vasari's description might also apply to another portrait which has been attributed to Giulio Romano and Raphael, Isabella of Aragon as Mona Lisa, depicting Isabella of Aragon, Duchess of Milan, also known as Isabella of Naples.
Opinions have varied as to who executed the cartoon for the Portrait of Doña Isabel de Requesens, which was likely reused for that of Isabella of Aragon; Luitpold Dussler considered the painting entirely Giulio Romano's work. However, both portraits are now generally thought to have been executed to Raphael's design, and the two paintings have been referred to as Raphael's Giocondae for their visual references to Leonardo's Mona Lisa (also known as La Gioconda), which was already in Francis I's collection. It is also possible that the portrait of Isabella of Aragon is a copy; the gallery that holds it, the Doria Pamphilj Gallery in Rome, lists it as "after" Raphael.A number of copies of the painting exist, and Vasari states that one copy entirely by Giulio Romano was made at the same time and included in the gift to the king; Brantôme reported having seen one version in the king's apartments at Fontainebleau, the other in the queen's.The Portrait of Doña Isabel de Requesens was restored by Francesco Primaticcio in the mid-16th century and transferred from the original wood to canvas either then or in the 18th century.
vicereine Raphael Francis I of France Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme Pope Leo X Fontainebleau Leo X Francesco Primaticcio viceroy of Naples Mona Lisa Isabel de Requesens Isabella of Aragon, Duchess of Milan Giulio Romano Doria Pamphilj Gallery Vasari Giovanna d'Aragona Ramón de Cardona Cardinal Bibbiena Leonardo