Sabaudian Studies by Matthew Vester;

Author:Matthew Vester; [Vester, Matthew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History / Renaissance
ISBN: 9781612480954
Publisher: PennStateUP
Published: 2013-05-13T05:00:00+00:00

The Virtuous Princess

Central to the education of the prince, as made clear by Giuglaris’s insistence on “Truth,” was the prominence of virtuous accomplishments. Not only Thetis, but also other heroic female characters, appear to function as references to Marie Christine in L’educatione d’Achille. Virtue as a guiding principle for the young [204] prince is highly relevant in this respect.57 Virtue is the “inseparable companion of the young demigod” and his source of inspiration.58 According to Cesare Ripa, Virtue is a winged woman with a lance, a laurel wreath, and the sun on her chest.59 Unsurpassable Virtue is shown in armor, emphasizing her never-ending fight against Vice; for more peaceful variants of the allegory, the lance is sufficient reference.60 The character that appears on stage as Virtue in the ballet is not winged and her only military attribute is the customary lance. She is described as Virtue, however, and the sun on her chest makes her clearly recognizable as such (fig. 10.5).61 Virtue also appears on the frontispiece of Giuglaris’s Scuola della verità (fig. 10.6). Here she is shown without wings but with the sun on her chest, and with a lance she chases Vice and a Medusa-like character. Virtue on the frontispiece dons a helmet but no armor and may be interpreted as a combination of Virtue and Minerva, the latter a suitable and often-used symbol of learning.62 Just as Virtue in the ballet appears to be a reference to Marie Christine as her son’s guide, Virtue/Minerva seems a clear reference to the duchess who stands guardian at the door of her school of truth. Giuglaris describes Marie Christine as a paradigm of both learning and virtue in his dedication.63 The simultaneous celebration of Marie Christine’s dexterity at providing the duke with suitable physical as well as theoretical education reinforces the idea of the necessity of his continued instruction, under the guidance of his learned, virtuous, and politically astute mother. Explicit references to the hero’s bookish inclinations in L’educatione d’Achille are made in the presentations of the Ballet of Achilles and His Companions (see fig. 10.4), a dance introduced by Virtue. The ballet symbolizes the “most illustrious deeds and most famous victories.”64 Although it is a warriors’ dance, the libretto places some emphasis on letters; now the heroes are no longer being trained but have themselves performed heroic deeds.65 The success of the virtuous Marie Christine in finding the right balance of war and letters in the education of her son is celebrated. This and Giuglaris’s work are complementary celebrations of Marie Christine’s [206] Regia educatione. In his description of the ballet, the court historian Castiglione also pauses to compliment the duchess (or “queen,” as he calls her) on her education of her own Achilles.66

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