Material culture, marriage and gender in Renaissance Italy
evidence for why the war is being thought, with children, as a representative for the future of a city, at stake. 35
(Fig. 3) Giovanni di Ser Giovanni , Hersila reconciles the Romans and the Sabines 36
Below: (Fig. 4) Giovanni di Ser Giovanni , Triumph of the Romans and the Sabines 37
Thus, the painting can provide an insight into gender in a number of ways. Firstly, it is unsurprising that the painter has prioritized female modesty by not portraying the chaotic scene that Livy described and displays the attitude that women should be above all chaste and modest, an impression supported by the omission of the beginning of the story in which the women are abducted. 38 The manipulation of the story is crucial, as while we cannot reconstruct the viewer’s response, omission of information and manipulation of scene suggest a deliberate cultural idea being established by the patron. Secondly, the women very much conform to their prescribed societal role, childbearing. The presence of the children in the front of the women confirms their role. Thirdly, in some ways Hersilia can be seen as powerful within this depiction, occupying the centre of the painting and providing the link between the two sides. 39 Much like in Italian society, the men dominate the outside, the public sphere, with the women providing the link, through marriage, between the two groups of men. However, Hersilia retains
35 Ibid.: 118. 36 Ibid.: 114-115 37 Ibid. 38 Ibid.: 112. 39 Ibid.
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