Political Image Making in Portraits of Isabella d'Este, Marchioness of Mantua

Isabella d'Este, Marchioness of Mantua, used portraiture as a sophisticated political tool to project authority and secure respect for her administrative and diplomatic prowess. Contrary to the prevailing view that her commissions were merely about vanity or memorialization, this study reveals her strategic integration of self-fashioning with broader identity branding efforts. By analyzing her portrait commissions—including works by Titian and Leonardo da Vinci—across her political trajectory, the research demonstrates how iconography served as a means to reinforce her influence and challenge gendered perceptions of her motivations.

James, C. (2021). Political Image Making in Portraits of Isabella d’Este, Marchioness of Mantua. Gender & History, 35(1), 20–41. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0424.12582