#122 The Venetian Bride: A Conversation with Professor Patricia Fortini Brown

Saturday, April 11th Live on Zoom

10am Los Angeles / 1pm New York / 6pm London / 7pm Florence

Professor Brown tells a true story of vendetta and intrigue, triumph and tragedy, exile, and repatriation in her 2021 book, The Venetian Bride: Bloodlines and Blood Feuds in Venice and its Empire. It chronicles the 16^th century marriage of Giulia Bembo and Girolamo Della Torre and reveals the complexities of the Venetian Empire, family life, and power struggles.  In her Studiolo talk, Professor Brown will discuss the interconnected lives of the Bembo and Della Torre families, illustrating the vastness and fragmentation of the 16^th century Venetian state through their experiences in Venice, Crete, and the mainland.  She explores vendettas, feudal culture shifting to individualism, the central role of women in binding society, and the challenges of imperial life in this detailed historical reconstruction, offering rich insights into daily life, politics, and family dynamics.  

Patricia Fortini Brown was born and raised in Oakland, California.  After attending Brigham Young University, she graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with an A.B. in Political Science.  Brown was active as a studio artist for 17 years and raised two sons before beginning graduate work.  Returning to Berkeley, she earned an M.A. and PhD in the History of Art. Brown taught at Princeton for 27 years in the Department of Art & Archaeology and served as department chair for six years.  Dr. Brown served as president of the Renaissance Society of America, and has received many honors and awards including Fulbright and Guggenheim Fellowships; the Rome Prize at the American Academy in Rome; the British Academy Serena Medal in Italian Studies; and the Paul Oskar Kristeller Lifetime Achievement Award from the Renaissance Society of America.  A trustee of Save Venice, Inc., Brown has published extensively on Venetian art and culture.  Her award-winning books include Venetian Narrative Painting in the Age of Carpaccio (1998); Venice & Antiquity: The Venetian Sense of the Past (1996); Art and Life in Renaissance Venice (1997); and Private Lives in Renaissance Venice: Art, Architecture, and the Family (2004).

To RSVP: Paola50122@gmail.com

Minimum suggested donation: $28

This talk is free for Friends of Paola's Studiolo!

Look forward to seeing you on Zoom!