Resumen de Un dipinto di Francesco Francia nella guardaroba di Guidobaldo II della Rovere
The author puts forward a new interpretation of a passage from Vasari's 1568 biography of Francesco Francia mentioning a celebrated "Lucrezia Romana" painted by the artist for the Ducal Court of Urbino. The rereading makes it clear that the "Lucrecia" was not among the items listed in the "guardaroba" of Guidobaldo I de Montefeltro, as has always been claaimed, but in that of Guidobaldo II della Rovere. Furthermore, the article sheds light on the horse caparisons Francia painted for the Duke of Urbino, also described by Vasari, which were not commissioned by Guidobaldo I but by his successor Francesco Maria I della Rovere. In conclusion, associating what is known about the caparisons with episodes from the life of Duke Francesco Maria and his wife Eleonora Gonzaga, and with the iconography and style of the "Lucretia", leads to a new proposal for the origins, commission and dating of Francia'a painting.
