Course Readings: Web Gallery

Frederico da Montefeltro and His Son, Guidobaldo, Panel, Ducal Palace, Urbino, Italy (ca. 1476) by Justus of Ghent or Pedro Berruguete

Seeking to prevent another disputed succession upon his death, Frederico da Montefeltro struggled mightily to produce a male heir. In the end, he had seven legitimate daughters and one son (he also had four illegtimate children). In this painting, he appears with his only son, Guidobaldo. In 1482, Frederico died of malaria while campaigning, and the ten-year-old Guidobaldo became Duke of Urbino.

In this painting, Frederico wears his armor while reading a book. On the shelf in the upper-lefthand corner of the painting stands a Persian mitre covered with pearls—Frederico's military renown was such that he received emissaries from Persia. Around his neck, he wears the Order of the Ermine, received from the King of Naples (an ally). Below his knee, he has also wrapped the Order of the Garter, an honor conferred upon him by the King of England.

Guidobaldo rests his arm on Frederico's knee and holds a small sceptre. He wears a pearl necklace, and his robe sports a large number of pearls as well. Indeed, pearls appear throughout this representation—on Guidobaldo, the mitre, Frederico's chair, and the Order of the Garter.

Sickly as a youth and frequently ill as an adult, Guidobaldo nevertheless sought to follow in his father's footsteps as a soldier and a patron of the arts. He earned honor and respect as a statesmen, but never met with great success on the battlefield. Indeed, he briefly lost Urbino in 1502. He did, however, manage to maintain the same high artistic standards at the ducal court. He died without issue in 1508, and the Duchy of Urbino passed on to the della Rovere family.