Preview

Renaissance Marriage

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
486 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Renaissance Marriage
Art history can leave us with more and greater impressions of past culture than we consciously have of our own. With the single parent family as a typical 21st century phenomenon, many who endured the heart-ache of a broken home syndrome may reject committement or marriage and family never realize how cherished this institution was in history.

In the history of marriage there was no such exertion of free will until Pius IV's 1563 bull at the Council of Trent, prompted by the Protestant Reformation, relaxed rules. More often than not, Renaissance marriage arrangements remained pretty much the way they had been set up in Antiquity and the Middle Ages. As this is a sensitive topic, it is not suitable for all ages, but the true beauty of its art can be appreciated by all.

In other words, matrimony was nothing short of a political
…show more content…
The most ideal Renaissance marriage, for example, was that between Isabella I of Castille and Ferdinand II of Aragon, sealed by a double portrait. In addition, Isabelle's bridal trosseau would have been stored in a spalliere or cassone, a painted ornamental piece in which a bride stowed gifts. These wedding chests were as popular as double wedding portraits and painters were commissioned to depict scenery from well-loved tales such as Boccaccio's Day IV of Decameron. From as early as the Late Middle Ages, these wooden chests featured inlaid or carved work and were decorated with whitechalk, gesso, paint, and gilding, and pastiglia, low relief decor. It was given to a bride and placed in the bridal suite. The cassone was a typical furnishing of wealthy merchants and aristocrats in Italian culture and a central piece of furniture of that

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Set against the grindstone of social class, Gene Brucker’s Giovanni and Lusanna throws light on fifteenth century Renaissance Florence. The novel revolves around Lusanna, a beautiful widow of an artisan, and Giovanni, her aristocrat lover, who she brought suit against when she learned that he contracted to marry a woman representing his own class. Through narration of the clash between artisans and aristocrats in archiepiscopal court, Gene Brucker expands further to expose his readers to the law and order and the social stratum prevalent during that period. To construct his novel, Brucker gained knowledge about the litigation and social order…

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    History is compilation of data and materials gathered throughout time and analyzed to form some consensus of what happened in the past. A common way people learn about history is through reading and memorizing textbooks and historical literature. This can be an effective way of understanding the past but it is important to not overlook other ways of understanding the past such as artwork. Although artwork may not always tell the person about specific knowledge, it may sometimes give more information that other sources could not. The important thing to note about historical artwork is that it shows the scholar insight about what the people of the time thought of themselves and not what other people thought of them. In this way, artwork acts as a primary source and gives off first hand information about a people’s own culture. Specifically,…

    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Being in this class has really given me the opportunity to appreciate and comprehend art. I have now gathered some of my favorite artworks throughout this time that I have been in this class. One of the paintings that really caught my attention was Feast in the House of Levi by Paolo Veronese. The painting was made in 1573 with oil on the 18’4” X 16’7” canvas. This was created in the late Renaissance in Italy and it can be found in Venice, Italy.…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The rules of marriage during the fourteen century were really different to the rules of marriage today. The play Romeo and Juliet took place in the fourteenth century which meant that the marriage rules applied to them. . Obedience, blessings and Finances from both sets of parents were needed for someone to get married during the fourteenth century. During the fourteenth century the parents had to choose a husband for their daughter’s. Girls couldn’t choose their own husband. Romeo and Juliet wanted to get married but Juliet’s parents had to choose the husband for her and they chose County Paris.…

    • 458 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    It not only represent the appearance and personality of Arnolfini couple, and also depict the decoration of the room. Their gesture represent the loyalty to each other, The husband is holding the hand of wife means he will support his wife forever, and his wife palms up to show that she will always be loyal to her husband. Luxury clothing shows the wealthy of Arnolfini couple; A candle lit in the pensile droplight may allude to the presence of the Holy Ghost or the ever-present eye of God; A pair of slipper in the corner represent marriage; A dog symbolizes loyalty, signifying the couple's desire to have a child; the white turban means chastity; The green of the woman's dress symbolizes fertility, possibly the hope of becoming a mother; Red bed shows symbolic harmonious, and it might allude to the physical act of love between the married couple.. In the 14th century, The fresh oranges is expense according to the extremely high cost of transportation. In this painting, it represents a symbol of wealthy. The beads on the wall is behalf of piety; The brush means purity. In the middle of the painting, there has a mirror hanging on the wall, framed with 10 outstanding lobate square, each of them has a small circle which draw different pictures of Jesus’ story. And The round mirror in the center is reflecting the scenery of whole…

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Women and Men had no choice of who they would marry in the Elizabethan times. “The major difference between Elizabethan wedding customs, to a modern day western marriage is that the women had very little, if any, choice in who they would.” Also, the mother and father of the girl and boy choose who they were going to marry. Additionally, some men but very little would have the choice of who they would marry. In the Elizabethan times…

    • 306 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Suffocation Model

    • 833 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the article The Suffocation Model: Why Marriage in America Is Becoming an All-or-Nothing Institution written by Eli J. Finkel, Elaine O. Cheung, Lydia F. Emery, Kathleen L. Carswell, and Grace M. Larson, the shift of marriage in American history was exemplified. These authors elaborated on how marriage has currently been deemed the suffocation model and the positive and negative connotations this type of marriage consists of was brought to light. A brief view of the different eras of marriage from 1776 to present are shown as well as how each era fits in with Maslow’ hierarchy of needs.…

    • 833 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Choosing a life partner is probably one of the most important decisions one could make in their entire lifetime. It could either make one’s life abundantly happy, or exceedingly miserable. Standing at the alter and saying “I do” is probably the easiest part of it. The process before that special day is where it is challenging. “Do I truly love this person?” “Is he/she the right one for me?” These are the usual questions asked by modern couples before they wed. But in the 1800s, when Pride and Prejudice was written, the only question that filled the minds of single men and women was, “Will this person be beneficial to my social and/or financial status?” This is the one of the most significant differences between dating and marriage in the 1800s, and dating and marriage in our contemporary world.…

    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Marriage and function of aristocratic families such as the Pastons in the late Middle Ages was key to the success of the family. Marriages in the later middle ages were important to the status of families during this time period due to the importance of both the husband and wife being involved in family affairs, from economics to things that need to be done in day to day life. Marriage also functioned very differently, instead of being used as a binding of two people that love each other, it was primarily used as a something to be entered into for social and material reasons. Due to the political factors…

    • 1919 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    - - -. "Elizabethan Wedding and Marriages." Elizabethan Era. Ed. Linda Alchin. Linda Alchin, 20 Mar. 2012. Web. 8 Apr. 2013.…

    • 3362 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Annunciation

    • 1712 Words
    • 7 Pages

    As I walk in the Metropolitan Art Museum, I began to walk around the art gallery that was around me. It was a great area with a roomful of bright and artistic paintings that was created by famous artists around the world. But only one painting got my attention. The painting happens to be the Annunciation by Botticelli. The Botticelli’s The Cestello Annunciation was presented in a jewel-like style and it is an architectural interior constructed based on a rigorous system of one-point perspective. After viewing the artistic techniques in the painting, it was clear that the painting demonstrates Botticelli’s style in bring together ideas of Christianity and pagan ideas which includes mythology and the changes in art due to the humanism of the Renaissance.…

    • 1712 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    As the ages have past weddings have changed, the most interesting weddings took place in the middle ages. Middle ages were full of mystery and lust, women were not merely wives but prizes and a possession, rarely was it love. The reasons of which people were married was determined by their class. Most of the marriage laws we know today evolved during this era. The celebrations were extravagant, full of color and magnificent entertainment and exquisite feasts, radical compared to prior ages. The middle ages were truly a turning point as weddings evolved.…

    • 1115 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Stephanie Coontz’s essay on “The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love” demonstrates her opinion that the expectations of marriage are unrealistic based on George Bernard Shaw’s theory. Shaw believed that marriage was “an institution that brings together two people ‘under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive and most transient of passions’” (qtd. In Coontz 378).…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Love in The Renaissance

    • 1218 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The topic of love in the Renaissance can be described as complicated, to say the least. When it comes to someone in rule, it get’s even more complex. With the constant battle for power, it’s hard to know if relationships were based on true love or if they were just a ploy in order to move up in society. With the pressure of pleasing people and protecting your country, having to trust someone enough to be your significant other adds to the stress of it all. On top of the idea of love, friendship and acts of sexual desire come in to play to make the web even more tangled. With writings such as Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II, and Carole Levin’s The Heart and Stomach of a King, you can examine different ways in which rulers handle their personal relationships. Whether they come out triumphant or end in demise, their stories allow you to dig deeper into the common idea of “loving the ones you trust, and trusting the ones you love.”…

    • 1218 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Kiss

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In this painting, only the human elements – the skin and hair, are painted in the traditional way. It is painted in a matte, brushy texture which separates it from the other elements of the painting as it seems three dimensional. The rest are decorated in gold and silver leaf, creating a mystical atmosphere due to its glittering and extravagant effects. The clothes of the two figures are decorated with patterns and gold leaf, and a bubble of gold leaf is enveloped over them again. The robe in which the male is wearing is decorated with irregular black and white squares on top of the gold leaf, suggesting masculinity and logic, whilst the female’s dress is decorated in floral patterns, suggesting femininity. The gold bubble in which surrounds the figure suggest that they are separated from the outside world and that they were alone with only one another. The use of gold leaf on both figures also make them blend into one figure. The background, however, is not reflective but appears to be two dimensional and flat. This makes the couple even more illuminated and stands out from the composition. The golden, starry background makes the moment even more magical. The patterns on the robes and the flat background makes the painting resemble a mosaic as it focuses a lot of ornamentation.…

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays