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Brooke9/7
Portrait of Simonetta Vespucci by Sandro Botticelli - one my favorite Italian Renaissance painters. It is "Ideal Beauty" and very possibly not an exact rendition of Mrs. Vespucci. Born Simonetta Cattaneo in 1453 (Genoa) she reputedly served as Botticelli's muse - if not his actual model - for several classically-themed works and frescoes. Simonetta was widely considered the lovliest woman in all of Florence, and appears to be the model for Botticelli's "Birth of Venus." Although married to a prominent nobleman, famously known as La Bellezza Fiorentina and the Star of Genoa, she may have been mistress to Giuliano di Piero de Medici (brother of Il Magnifico Lorenzo). Giuliano fathered the illegitimate Giulio de Medici by his mistress Fioretta Gorini. After Giuliano's murder in the Pazzi Conspiracy to oust the Medici from Florence, Giulio was legitimized and raised with his cousins, Piero and Giovanni, sons of Lorenzo the Magnificent. He became a cardinal under the first Medici pope, Giovanni de Medici (Leo X). Leo X was the poniff who was busy enjoying the papacy when Martin Luther (that spunky monk) nailed his 95 Theses on the Church door at Wittenburg). Giulio was later elected to the throne of St Peter as Pope Clement VII. Clement VII was the pontiff who was held hostage by Charles V's mercenaries during the Sack of Rome. Those rascally Medici Popes! For a really awesome website with large format scans and tons of information about the Medici and the Italian Renaissance go to: www.paradoxplace.com ___________________________________________________________________ Hello, my name is Brooke MY VITALS Occupation: Civil Servant (Lady in Waiting to the Duchess of Urbino in a past life ;-) Astrological sign: Virgo Chinese Sign: Year of the Snake Lucky Number: 19 I joined this wiki because: The Medieval, Early Modern and Renaissance periods are so interesting. I love reading historical interpretations, primary sources, and watching shows about these periods. I LOVE HENRY CAVILL and JRM! I'm a fan of the show, of course! The best word to describe me is: Grammatically Correct! Oops, that's two! INTERESTS: History, Archaeology, Vanishing Cultures, Native American & Southwest Ethnography, Latin American Ethnography, 1960s Political World History, Global Revolutions and Indigenous Uprisings against colonial rule, camping, hiking, mountain biking, reading, happy hour with my friends, and hanging out with my kids and hubby! FAVORITE BOOKS: Pride and Prejudice, The Razor's Edge, Tom Jones, Monkey Wrench Gang, Level Four: Virus Hunters of the CDC BOOK(S) I AM CURRENTLY READING: The Borgias and Their Enemies (Chrisopher Hibbert). FAVORITE MOVIES: Remains of the Day, And the Band Played On, Pride and Prejudice (with Colin Firth) Favorite TV shows: The Tudors, House Hunters, No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain. My hero(es): Unknown volunteers deep in the interiors building infrastructure to better the lives of those living in abject poverty. DEDICATED, KNOWLEDGEABLE, INSPIRING SCHOOL TEACHERS. My superpower is: Finding passion and adventure where none really exists! My dream job(s): 1) Curator, Collections at a Natural History or Art Museum 2) Director of the Education Department at a museum. What else you should know about me: I am neither young nor old...but most days I try to behave old while feeling young! Wink Wink -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SAY HELLO! Leave me a comment below, or send me a private message or compliment!
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