The Marriage Portrait

Tradition in wealthy Renaissance families was that shortly after the wedding a portrait should be made of the bride. The Duke of Ferrara arranges for a well known painter to make such a portrait of his new wife. Fifteen year old Lucrezia di Cosimo had married Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, in 1560 and left her family in Florence to live in Ferrara. She was allowed to take Emilia with her as her maid. Lucrezia loves to draw and paint and also explore the world outside her home but she soon discovers that she is expected to remain inside. Her main role as Alfonzo's wife is to produce a son and heir for the family. It is not long before Lucrenzia discovers that there are two sides to her new husband - one charming and caring; the other sinister and cruel. She also learns that she must not disobey her husband. A year after her marriage, Lucrezia begins to fear that her husband plans to murder her.

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell is a work of fiction loosely based on the true relationship between Lucrezia di Cosimo and Alfonzo II D'Este. A year after their marriage Lucrezia was found dead and her husband was suspected of murdering her. In this novel the author paints a graphic picture of the life of young women brought up in ruling families during the Renaissance.