Resurrecting the Marchesa

In this year's David & June Gordon Lecture, distinguished historical novelist Sarah Dunant shares insights into a remarkable Renaissance patron of the arts.

In an age where women had little public power, Isabella dEste (1474 1539) stands out as a formidable figure.

She was born into one of Italys most illustrious dynasties and married into another.

Her husband , Francesco Gonzaga, was a warrior and a philanderer, but their partnership she ran the state while he was away fighting - lasted over a quarter of a century, during which time she became the greatest female patron and art collector of the Italian renaissance.

Her taste, both in art and fashion, her appetite for everything - particularly shopping and food, along with her strong-minded personality make her a great subject for a novel.

But getting under her skin means accessing an extraordinary archive of letters which she left (thirty-three thousand of them) as well as walking in her footsteps through the fortresses and palaces of Ferrara and Mantua.

This lecture will give you some idea of both the pain and pleasure of that process.

Getting Isabella right is not an easy business.