Pavel Aleshin
Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
Ferrara is known as one of the most important artistic centres of the Renaissance. Its history is close to the destiny of the House of Este, which ruled in the city during the whole period of Renaissance.
Duke Ercole II d’Este, like his predecessors, patronized arts, yet still there is no study focused on his patronage. By the way, the bright period of his rule (1534–1559) still remains practically unexplored compared to the other d’Este. The main reason for it is that the age of Ercole II d’Este is out of the so-called “Golden age” of Ferrara (the second half of the 15th — the first quarter of the 16th century), which attracts the bulk of scholars’ attention. The time from the year 1534 to 1598 is considered as the period of its gradual decline as an artistic center, and after the death of Ercole II’s son, Alfonso II d’Este, Ferrara came under the authority of Papacy.
The patronage of the last Duke of Ferrara, Alfonso II d’Este, is studied by historians of art as an autonome problem, still the patronage of Ercole II is only mentioned, but not analyzed just in general researches on Este family patronage.
In fact, the cultural life of Ferrara during the reign of Ercole II was very rich and intense. Although Ferrara ceased to be an independent center of the visual arts, it retained its status as one of the leading centers of literature, theatre, and music.
The report analyzes the patronage of Ercole II d’Este and gives a general description of the culture of Ferrara during his rule.