{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/110528"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/110528","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"‘On account of high merits’: The portrait medals of Isabella d’Este and the image of the female collector","abstract":"Isabella d’Este was among the most prominent female collectors in early modern Italy. While her collection of art and antiquities was quite large and diverse, this thesis focuses on a particularly unique object—her opulently embellished personal portrait medal. This gold and diamond encrusted medal was kept in Isabella’s private studiolo; however, there was also a base medal version which was mass produced and widely circulated. This paper examines the ways Isabella d’Este negotiated her anomalous position as a woman patron and collector within the courtly practices of Humanism. In particular, the discussion focuses on the ways in which the portrait medals functioned as a means of identity construction within both the private, elite space of her studiolo and wider realm of public exchange and discourse. The dual functions and meanings of these medals enable us to see how Isabella constructed her identity as a collector, an intellectual, a public figure, and a courtly woman of “high merit.”","abstract_html":"Isabella d’Este was among the most prominent female collectors in early modern Italy. While her collection of art and antiquities was quite large and diverse, this thesis focuses on a particularly unique object—her opulently embellished personal portrait medal. This gold and diamond encrusted medal was kept in Isabella’s private studiolo; however, there was also a base medal version which was mass produced and widely circulated. This paper examines the ways Isabella d’Este negotiated her anomalous position as a woman patron and collector within the courtly practices of Humanism. In particular, the discussion focuses on the ways in which the portrait medals functioned as a means of identity construction within both the private, elite space of her studiolo and wider realm of public exchange and discourse. The dual functions and meanings of these medals enable us to see how Isabella constructed her identity as a collector, an intellectual, a public figure, and a courtly woman of “high merit.”","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hall, Sierra"],"institution":"University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"M.A.","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Art History","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Rosenthal, Lisa"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-09-17T01:11:09Z","date_published":"2021-09-17T01:11:09Z","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:52Z","subjects":["Isabella d'Este","portrait medals","early modern Italy","Renaissance","women's collecting","women's patronage","studiolo"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright 2021 Sierra Hall"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/2142/110528","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Rosenthal, Lisa"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hall, Sierra"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2021-09-17T01:11:09Z","2021-04-23","2021-05"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Art History"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.A."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Isabella d'Este","portrait medals","early modern Italy","Renaissance","women's collecting","women's patronage","studiolo"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2021 Sierra Hall"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/110528"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Isabella d’Este was among the most prominent female collectors in early modern Italy. While her collection of art and antiquities was quite large and diverse, this thesis focuses on a particularly unique object—her opulently embellished personal portrait medal. This gold and diamond encrusted medal was kept in Isabella’s private studiolo; however, there was also a base medal version which was mass produced and widely circulated. This paper examines the ways Isabella d’Este negotiated her anomalous position as a woman patron and collector within the courtly practices of Humanism. In particular, the discussion focuses on the ways in which the portrait medals functioned as a means of identity construction within both the private, elite space of her studiolo and wider realm of public exchange and discourse. The dual functions and meanings of these medals enable us to see how Isabella constructed her identity as a collector, an intellectual, a public figure, and a courtly woman of “high merit.”","Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2021-09-16 without embargo terms","The student, Sierra Hall, accepted the attached license on 2021-04-21 at 10:47.","The student, Sierra Hall, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2021-04-21 at 10:58.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2021-04-23 at 14:05.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #16458 on 2021-09-16 at 16:45:24","Made available in DSpace on 2021-09-17T01:11:09Z (GMT). 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This gold and diamond encrusted medal was kept in Isabella’s private studiolo; however, there was also a base medal version which was mass produced and widely circulated. This paper examines the ways Isabella d’Este negotiated her anomalous position as a woman patron and collector within the courtly practices of Humanism. In particular, the discussion focuses on the ways in which the portrait medals functioned as a means of identity construction within both the private, elite space of her studiolo and wider realm of public exchange and discourse. The dual functions and meanings of these medals enable us to see how Isabella constructed her identity as a collector, an intellectual, a public figure, and a courtly woman of “high merit.”","Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2021-09-16 without embargo terms","The student, Sierra Hall, accepted the attached license on 2021-04-21 at 10:47.","The student, Sierra Hall, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2021-04-21 at 10:58.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2021-04-23 at 14:05.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #16458 on 2021-09-16 at 16:45:24","Made available in DSpace on 2021-09-17T01:11:09Z (GMT). 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