Fiore D'Ogni Virtu Per le Nobili Et Honeste Matrone, page 2 (recto) 1610

Curator: Oh, here’s a lovely printed page from Isabella Catanea Parasole’s *Fiore D'Ogni Virtu Per le Nobili Et Honeste Matrone,* dating back to 1610. Look closely. Do you see the way the dedication is presented? What feeling does that evoke? Editor: Well, first off, I notice all the language is not English, which definitely hints at a different time. And it looks so official and… regal, I guess? Curator: Indeed! It *is* Italian and I completely agree – the grandiose tone! Remember, Parasole dedicated this to Donna Elisabetta Borbona D'Austria, a princess of Spain. Editor: So, like, she's trying to get in good with royalty? Curator: Perhaps, but let's think deeper. Patronage was everything then. For a female artist, getting the nod from a princess, you understand that means her work and thus her person, her very presence as a working individual would have immediate cache, value. Think of what it means for her status, in a time that really restricted women. Almost like magic, really. What does it whisper about how women navigated their worlds back then? Editor: Hmmm, it’s making me think of it as much more strategic – like, this wasn’t just about the art, but about survival and clever social maneuvering. It's sort of bittersweet now. Curator: Precisely! Art is *always* about more than what’s immediately visible. I imagine she sees this page, like smoke from incense ascending as she prays for her good virtues in hopes she receives gracious virtues. And, as her words say, "to always proclaim the virtues of Your Highness". Is she sucking up, or being smart in hard times? Editor: I love that you call that last sentence her “pray.” It brings her dedication to life with more emotion and her situation into focus with her "hail mary". Thanks, that’s a completely different way to look at what seems like just a simple text.