La Cortigiana Oneste

---

Venice, a shining jewel of the Renaissance, perched on the water like a dream. . . The Courtesans of Venice: Venice, a shining jewel of the Renaissance, perched on the water like a dream, that thrust itself into the waking imaginations of all those who inhabited her vulnerable beauty... While Queen Elizabeth reigned in England during the latter part of the 16th century, fortunate Venetians of the noble class reveled in the glorious architecture of their watery city, and filled their homes and palaces with the finest works of art. They clothed themselves in silks arriving from the silk road trade route, dined on the bounty of the sea and enjoyed the attentions of a unique and talented group of women known as courtesans.
Honoured Courtesan A woman who occupied the profession of "La Cortigiana Oneste," or "Honored Courtesan" was not to be confused with an ordinary prostitute. The ability to bring pleasure to her patrons was only one of her many skills, perhaps less important than her wit, charm, intelligence, high level of education, knowledge of politics, fashion sense, beauty, and, of course, her mastery of the realm of imagination. To capture the attentions of a wealthy patron, she needed to cultivate an aura that would encourage him to consider her his equal, and therefore be deemed worthy to occupy the role of his most compelling love object. She achieved this goal through her many virtues. In exchange, the courtesan enjoyed far greater power, freedom and knowledge than the typical Venetian wife.
Education The wives of Venice were married based on the size of their dowries and for the alliances their marriages could create between families. Their husbands enjoyed full and exclusive rights to all money, goods and property brought to the union. As she was valued primarily for her dowry and her ability to bear children, the Venetian wife was minimally educated, and expected to focus her mind on religious texts. In contrast, the courtesan was frequently proficient in several languages, was well versed in classical and contemporary literature, could engage in political discussions, and held an honored position in high-level functions of the day. She was usually an accomplished singer, danger and musician as well.
Wealth Remarkably, she was allowed to collect and keep her own earnings, and to own property. As a result, the best courtesans were able to accumulate great wealth, often exhibited in their sumptuous attire, rendering them virtually indistinguishable from the noble women of the city
Freedom Though a courtesan's fortunes were tied to the attentions of her noble patrons, she certainly experienced far greater freedom than most women of the 16th century. Perhaps acting with the same wisdom as the powerful and revered Venetian courtesans, the great Queen Elizabeth staunchly refused to take a husband during her rein, thereby retaining the more powerful position of an unattached woman who enjoys the right to bestow her favor as she sees fit.   Written by Tara Rech, Copyright Bella Donna 2003
Further Research on Courtesans and Life in the Italian Renaissance   Lives of the Courtesans: Portraits of the Renaissance Lawner, Lynn. (Rizzoli, New York, 1987)   Virgins of Venice; Enclosed Lives and Broken Vows in the Renaissance Convent by M. Laven (Penguin Books Ltd London England 2002)   The Renaissance in Venice, A World Apart Fortini Brown Patrician. (Every Man Art Library 1997)   A History of Venice  J. J. Norwich (London Penguin Books 1983)   The Renaissance: A History of Civilization in Italy from 1304 - 1576 A.D.  By M. Durant (Simon and Schuster New York 1953)   The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy  by Jacob Burchardt (Modern Library 2002)   Myths of Venice: The Figuration of a State by David Rosand (Univ of North Carolina 2001)   Perspectives Art and Life in Renaissance Venice by Patricia Fortini Brown (Harry N Abrams 1997)   Courtesans of the Italian Renaissance By Georgina Masson (Cox and Wymann Limited. London, 1975.)     Thanks to: Deborah Murray, SCAKA Mistress Oonagh O'Neill, OL http://oonagh.actewagl.net.au   and the Courtesans Yahoo List http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Courtesan/
To find these and other useful resources: We recommend www.addall.com a search engine of all book sellers on the web, except for Amazon.com. To search Amazon, go to www.amazon.com and search by title, author or subject.   You can also sometimes find books at reasonable prices on EBay. www.ebay.com and half.com, www.half.com   Good luck in your research. We hope you will find life in the Italian Renaissance and in Venice as fascinating as we do!