‘Now I come to you, ladies, after so much time’: Cleopatra, Maria d'Aragona and anintermediofor the Duchess of Alba

Autor:	Nina Treadwell
Rok vydání:	2010
Předmět:	Visual Arts and Performing Arts biology media_common.quotation_subject Art history Context (language use) Art Historical figure biology.organism_classification Queen (playing card) Visual arts Entertainment Cleopatra Role model Performance art Relation (history of concept) Music media_common
Zdroj:	Cambridge Opera Journal. 22:33-63
ISSN:	1474-0621 0954-5867
DOI:	10.1017/s0954586711000024
Popis:	During March 1588, Maria d'Aragona, the Marchesa of Vasto, sponsored a set of fourintermediat her palazzo in Chiaia, Naples. The centrepiece of the entertainment was theintermedioentitled ‘Queen Cleopatra on her Ship’. This article explores d'Aragona's role as sponsor of the entertainment, particularly in relation to her interest in the historical figure of Cleopatra. Drawing on sources that informed perceptions of the Egyptian queen during the early- to mid-Cinquecento, it will be shown that within a performance context governed by a strong-willed female patron, the often negatively depicted Cleopatra could be cast as a positive role model, particularly for d'Aragona-related noblewomen who themselves had experienced strong female mentorship and enjoyed the relative autonomy of widowhood. D'Aragona's decision to cast the NeapolitanvirtuosaEufemia Jozola as Cleopatra reinforced the female-orientated nature of theintermedio, and sheds new light on mid-Cinquecento Neapolitan performance practice.
Databáze:	OpenAIRE
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