BOUGEAREL Alain wrote:Once more Isabelle d'Este ...
Many threads finaly linking to her!
Isabella d'Este took around 1505 the motto "nec spes, nec metu", which means "neither hope nor fear". The suits of Boiardo deck are fear (there called Timor), gelosia (jealousy), Spes (hope) and Amor (love), four Stoic passions. The motto might reflect either the general stoic passions or just Boiardo's specific version of them.
According my own theories the Boiardo poem was written for the wedding of Lucretia d'Este, half-sister of Isabella d'Este, in January 1487. The highest trump in this poem has its focus on the Roman Lucretia, likely not accidently. Lucretia d'Este married Annibale Bentivoglio, the heir of the ruler in Bologna, and it was a very big festivity and a lot of other poets made poems for Lucretia at this opportunity.
Lucretia was illegitimate, but was treated very well in the family. She was the elder sister of Isabella, maybe 5 or 6 years older. Beatrix, the younger, was educated in Naples.
It's not seldom, that younger girls adore the elder girls. Likely Lucretia's wedding impressed young Isabella (12/13 years old at this opportunity). She married 2 years later.