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Chapter 16: With Her Head Held High
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Marriage Portrait, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Art, Voyeurism, and Control
Duality and Identity
Gender Roles, Male Violence, and Female Solidarity
Primal Freedom vs. Civilized Imprisonment
Destiny vs. Chance
Summary
Analysis
When Lucrezia and Alfonso reach the city, there are crowds waiting to greet them. Lucrezia tries to look dignified and pleasant as they pass through the throngs of people, approaching Alfonso’s enormous fortified castle, which is surrounded by a moat. She thinks about how no one could enter this place uninvited nor leave it without permission. They greet soldiers and servants before ascending a staircase, accompanied by Baldassare. Upon entering a large state room, Alfonso presents his sisters to Lucrezia, who is taken aback by this turn of events, thinking she had time to change before the formal reception.
Lucrezia is hyper-aware of how she presents herself to the Ferrarese crowds, drawing attention to the fact that she not only lives beneath the male patriarchal gaze, but also in the public eye. One way or another, Lucrezia is always being observed. The castle is undeniably foreboding, looking to Lucrezia like yet another prison. The informal reception Alfonso arranges with his sisters suggests a lack of respect for the two women, as if he means to imply they are not worth fussing over.
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Alfonso’s sister Elisabetta greets Lucrezia warmly; she is tall and fashionable. The second sister, Nunciata, is stout and cold, carrying a dog under her arm. She comments—somewhat confrontationally—that Lucrezia is very little and younger than expected. Elisabetta deflects Nunciata’s tactless comments, but it is clear she is thinking of Maria. Upon hearing that Lucrezia is almost 16, Nunciata whispers loudly that she hopes that isn’t too young, underscoring the family’s hope that Lucrezia will give them an heir. Lucrezia wonders how they can so boldly assess her and wishes she could hide.
While Elisabetta seems genuinely glad to meet Lucrezia, Nunciata’s preoccupation with her ability to bear Alfonso’s children is an uncomfortable reminder that Lucrezia’s presence has a singular purpose. The sisters’ assessing gazes feel like a violation to Lucrezia, exemplifying how seeing people as a means to an end dehumanizes them and strips them of their individuality. This sense of being judged for her usefulness underscores all of Lucrezia’s interactions with Elisabetta and Nunciata, making true connection nearly impossible.
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Alfonso approaches and asks his sisters’ opinions of Lucrezia. Nunciata comments that they feared he would never settle down. Lucrezia asks after Alfonso’s mother and older sister. The sisters become irritated with Alfonso, who coldly states that he already told Lucrezia that his mother and sister are in France. Though he told her no such thing, she does not correct him. The sisters accompany Lucrezia to her rooms, which are beautiful. She wants to ask about the possibility of the eldest sister producing an heir to rival Alfonso, but instead asks if either Elisabetta or Nunciata is married. Elisabetta says she has not yet been tempted. Nunciata quips that Elisabetta has been tempted in other ways, and her comment breaks her sister’s composure.
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Shaken by Nunciata’s comment about temptation, Elisabetta implores Lucrezia not to mention it to Alfonso, insisting her sister was joking. Though Elisabetta tries to sound casual, Lucrezia senses her anxiety and promises to keep her secret. The sisters stay a while longer, asking about Florentine fashions. Nunciata says she will send Lucrezia a lady-in-waiting who can “attire you appropriately,” which irritates Lucrezia. Before leaving, Elisabetta asks if Alfonso is treating her kindly, looking hard at Lucrezia despite her affirmative response. The sisters depart.
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Lucrezia’s first night in the castle, Alfonso does not visit her chambers. The next evening, the castle hosts a party to welcome the new duchess, with a feast and performances from Alfonso’s uniquely talented singers, whose voices are unlike any Lucrezia has ever heard. She spends the dinner watching the other guests, noting how their styles differ from those of Florence. Elisabetta and Nunciata are both distracted from the singers, but Alfonso is fixated on the music. Lucrezia is wearing her wedding dress, which feels more like her own now than Maria’s. She thinks of writing to Isabella about her new experiences.
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Alfonso asks if Lucrezia is enjoying the music, and she remarks on the singers’ extraordinary ability to change from low to high notes. Alfonso informs her they are evirati—men intentionally castrated to preserve their young vocal range. This disturbs Lucrezia, who wonders if the men had any choice in this procedure. Alfonso boldly takes her hand in sight of the whole court, filling Lucrezia with hope that he truly loves her. She notices Elisabetta receiving a secret note from Ercole Contrari, the handsome head of the guardsmen. The act is smooth but dangerous, Lucrezia knows, but Alfonso does not notice. Elisabetta looks incandescently happy.
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Later, Lucrezia slips out of her bed, where Alfonso sleeps. She sits at her desk, feeling a familiar sense of peace. She writes a letter to Eleonora but is frustrated by how impersonal it reads. What she wants most to know is if her family misses her at all. Taking out a new board, Lucrezia paints two figures leaning towards one another near a pillar. It is the image of Elisabetta and Ercole Contrari, two secret lovers. She waits for the paint to dry before obliterating the portrait with dark green pigment, knowing Alfonso must not see it.
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Alfonso’s days at the castle are busy, leaving Lucrezia to her own devices. Though she spends the first few days shut in her rooms, painting to her heart’s content, Elisabetta soon pulls her into daily court life. Lucrezia enjoys Elisabetta’s light-hearted nature, though she dislikes the judgmental society of the court at large. She notes that Elisabetta often slips away, followed by Ercole Contrari, but keeps this to herself. After a few days, Nunciata notices Elisabetta and Lucrezia’s budding friendship and takes it upon herself to interrupt. Lucrezia writes to Eleonora of this strange but amusing competition for her attention, and her mother tells her to be on guard, as her sisters-in-law may have ulterior motives.
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Nunciata sends a lady-in-waiting, Clelia, to serve Lucrezia. Clelia seems judgmental of Lucrezia’s collected feathers and skulls, and Emilia is clearly irritated by her presence. Elisabetta tells Lucrezia to give the overbearing Clelia a chance. She seems to know that Lucrezia knows about her affair with Ercole Contrari, and she trusts her with that knowledge. Alfonso appears in Lucrezia’s rooms and questions her about the time she spends with his sisters. He seems interested in which sister she is closer to, and whether they are joined by others. Soon, Alfonso informs her, the artist will arrive to paint her portrait.
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The next morning, Lucrezia poses in the salon for the artist, Il Bastianino. He has painted the frescoes in this very room, and now he will paint her marriage portrait. He is joined by many apprentices, including Maurizio, though Jacopo is absent. Lucrezia is surprised that Alfonso allows Il Bastianino to touch her, as the artist is flirtatious. People come and go from the salon as he sketches, and Lucrezia lets her mind wander, leaving her body behind. Gazing out the window, she sees Elisabetta and Ercole Contrari embracing on a battlement. Alfonso notices her looking, but Elisabetta is alone now, and Lucrezia hopes her secret is safe. Alfonso directs Il Bastianino to make Lucrezia look refined and untouchable.
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Later, Alfonso sends a note to Lucrezia saying he has designed a specific outfit for her portrait. The dress is excessively opulent, a deep red with a black pattern that Lucrezia feels is an optical illusion. She has never worn anything like it. When she enters the salon, wearing the dress and her betrothal ruby, Il Bastianino positions her before summoning Alfonso. Jacopo has also arrived, and he studies the dress, as cloth is his specialty. Alfonso smiles and declares, “There she is. […] My first duchess.” The artist and Jacopo both react with confusion until the Duke amends his remark to “My beautiful duchess.” Lucrezia, unsettled, convinces herself her husband simply misspoke and was not implying the eventual existence of another duchess.
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Alfonso leaves, and Il Bastianino and his apprentices continue their work. Jacopo comes close to study the folds of the dress, and Lucrezia wants to ask him if he can tell she hates it and feels imprisoned by it. Jacopo drops his stylus and curses himself in the Neapolitan dialect Sofia used to speak. Surprised to find he is not mute after all, Lucrezia whispers to Jacopo in the same language, asking if he is from Naples. He is surprised she can understand him and tells her he will never forget how she saved his life. Lucrezia thinks of his sketches, containing various pieces of herself, and she reflects that she trusts Jacopo to keep them safe.
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At the first frost of the year, Lucrezia rides out with Elisabetta and some guardsmen. Her sister-in-law falls behind to ride beside Contrari, and their love reminds Lucrezia of her parents. She would like to be loved tenderly like that. One night—sometime later—Lucrezia dons Emilia’s clothing and explores the castle, disguised as a maid. She loves the freedom of casting off her identity. Another night, a horrible scream wakes her and Emilia. In the hall, Lucrezia can hear a woman begging for mercy and is startled when the voice addresses “Alfonso.” Lucrezia returns to her chambers and bolts the door.
The next day, the castle is quiet. Alfonso sends a servant to retrieve Lucrezia’s dress for the portrait and commands her to remain in her rooms for the rest of the day. Irritated, Lucrezia brings the dress to Alfonso’s chambers herself. Though he is evasive, Lucrezia mentions the screams she heard. Alfonso dismisses everyone else and tells Lucrezia it is his job to do what must be done to protect their status, and he reminds her that her allegiance is to him alone. Such matters do not concern her. Lucrezia argues that Cosimo trusts Eleonora with all information, to which Alfonso replies that he is a different man and that she—Lucrezia—is a child.
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Furious, Lucrezia wishes Jacopo would spirit her away within her dress, which he is taking to paint. Back in her room, she watches through the window as a cart carrying a long rectangular shape departs over the drawbridge, pursued by several anguished guards. Later, the cart returns, empty. Lucrezia presses Emilia to tell her what has happened, and the maid relents. Alfonso discovered Elisabetta’s affair with Ercole Contrari and sentenced him to death. Because Elisabetta showed no remorse, Alfonso forced her to watch as Baldassare strangled Contrari, whose soldiers refused to harm him. Alfonso was present. Lucrezia sends her ladies away, wishing to be alone.
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Lucrezia sneaks to Elisabetta’s room. Elisabetta looks terrible, clearly overcome by grief. She is angry at Lucrezia, believing she told Alfonso about her affair with Contrari. Elisabetta says Lucrezia is only a child with no idea what love is. Lucrezia assures her she said nothing to Alfonso, that the Duke has a way of seeing the truth even when it is hidden. Elisabetta believes—and pities—Lucrezia. She will go to Rome in the morning, but Lucrezia is trapped here. Elisabetta warns her that she has no idea what Alfonso is capable of, how heartless he can be. Additionally, she says Alfonso will blame his inability to produce an heir on her, though he is likely infertile.
Lucrezia stays in her chamber until Emilia brings news that Alfonso and Baldassare have left for another city for several weeks. Free to wander the castle, Lucrezia bundles herself in fur and paces any outdoor space she can, much to the concern of her ladies. For the first time, she longs for home, feeling she does not fit among the scheming murderers of Ferrara. She paces the terraces and battlements, trying not to think of Contrari and Elisabetta. Lucrezia writes a letter to her parents, asking them to send for her. She tells them about Contrari’s brutal murder and confesses that she no longer feels safe in Ferrara.
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Nunciata hears of Lucrezia’s refusal to come indoors. She confronts her in the orangery, telling her that such excessive grief for Contrari is tantamount to treason. Lucrezia tells Nunciata the situation does not concern her, as she has never liked Lucrezia, who will be departing for Florence soon. Baffled, Nunciata questions Clelia about Lucrezia’s state of mind before leaving her alone. Later, a servant brings Lucrezia a reply from Florence. In it, Eleonora encourages Lucrezia not to let her imagination carry her away and to trust Alfonso. Seeing that her family will not help her, Lucrezia burns the letter.
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