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| Colorno: the Noble and the Court |
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Barbara
Sanseverino, born in Milan in 1550, settled in Colorno following
her marriage to Giberto Sanvitale, lord of Sala Baganza.
An extremely cultured woman, she created and breathed life into
a literary circle, in competition with the Farnese court of
Parma, and developed a rapport with the Gonzaga family of Mantova
and with the Este family of Ferrara.
Owing to her tight links with the Mantuan court, she became
the victim of suspicion and persecution by Ranuccio Farnese,
who condemned her to the scaffold in 1612.
Through her, the palace of Colorno gained a refined Italian
style garden with a geometric design, containing flower-beds,
fountains, paths and a network of narrow canals, celebrated
by the most famous poets of the time such as Guarini and Tasso.
She was also an art collector of refined tastes, in keeping
with the tradition of the most important families of the times,
and put together a considerable art collection at Colorno, with
works by Tiziano, Gerolamo Mazzola Bedoli, Giulio Romano, Andrea
Sarto, Correggio, Parmigianino, of numerous Flemish painters
and an extraordinary collection of antique cameos. Following
her death, the collection was confiscated by the Farnese family.
The majority is currently on exhibition in the Capodimonte Museum
in Naples.
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