Felice della Rovere

07-09-12
mixed media

This possibly forgettable picture coincides with my reading a fascinating biography by Caroline Murphy of Felice della Rovere. She was the illegitimate daughter of Pope Julius II (famous for many things including commissioning Michelangelo to fresco the ceiling of the Sistine chapel). Felice della Rovere was a remarkable woman who lived in a tumultuous period of Renaissance history. She was married into the Orsini family and later came to manage and rule their estates in the extremely complicated and politically charged world of 15th century Italy.

In May 1527 Spanish and German soldiers employed by Charles V sacked Rome. Here we can see one of her palaces burning. Luckily, the family have just barely escaped and will soon be in hiding with their Medici kin far from town.