Was the protagonist in Bianca’s Cure a historical figure?
Good question! And it’s one I’ve addressed in almost all the podcasts I’ve done—those that have been released are here and especially in my Take It From Here Media podcast.
The short answer is, yes.
Bianca Capello was a rebellious and spirited historical figure—as we’re led to believe in the prose and poetry written about her. According to French writer Michel de Montaigne, she cut an imperious, robust figure,
Ducheſſe eſt belle à l’opinion Italienne, un viſage agréable & imprieux, le corſage gros, & de tetins à leur ſouhait. Elle lui ſambla bien avoir la ſuffiſance d’avoir angeolé ce Prince, & de le tenir à ſa dévotion long-tamps.
…or in an article that surveys Giovambattista Strozzi’s contributions in musicology, particularly in reference to prose praising Bianca Cappello. And then, there’s wikimedia uploads of books from the 1800s (some of which I have), acknowledging her commanding appearance, not to mention more recent posts.
Bianca was indeed a historical figure, beautiful, arguably beguiling, but did she work, did she study? I think a good way to answer the question is outlined in the Take It From Here podcast comments, interlaced with mine:
Berardi’s approach was inspired by a simple but powerful question.
“If we only talk about what definitely happened,” she explained, “we would have a two-page story about Bianca Capello. But if we ask what could have happened, suddenly there is space to imagine her intellectual life.”
The idea is not as far-fetched as it might seem. The Medici family was deeply connected to alchemy and early scientific experimentation. Francesco I de’ Medici maintained a private laboratory where he conducted chemical and alchemical experiments. At one point, he even gave Bianca her own study in the Palazzo Vecchio.
For Berardi, that detail was critical.
“It meant she had what Virginia Woolf described as the two things a woman needs to create,” she said. “Resources and a space of her own.”
And the answer to the question, what did she do? Conceivably a lot of studying and perhaps even strategizing around resources in that study in Palazzo Vecchio. As given in the interview,
If Bianca herself could correct the historical record, Berardi believes the answer would be simple.
“She would want people to know she had a brain,” Berardi said. “That she was not just a beautiful woman. That she could think and talk and was worth listening to.” For more, see my post on Bianca Capello and history.
From: https://florencelocalguides.com/francesco-i-and-bianca-cappello-an-eternal-love/