UFFIZI, Piero Della Francesca-Duke And Duchess Of Urbino_Room A9

The famous portrait of Battista Sforza and her husband Federico da Montefeltro, better known as 'The Duke and Duchess of Urbino', painted by Pietro della Francesca around 1475, is one of the best-known portraits from the Renaissance exhibited in the Uffizi.

Before I tell you about the work, I will briefly tell you about the married couple depicted here.

You should know that the lady, Battista, a descendant of the noble Sforza family, was given in marriage at the age of 14 to her stepmother's brother, the 38-year-old Federico da Montefeltro, who had recently been widowed. Despite their age difference, their marriage was a happy one from which seven children were born: six girls and finally a boy. Sadly, shortly after the birth of her last child, the young Battista, aged only 26, died of pneumonia.

It is not known whether the painting was made before or after her death. What is certain is that it was originally enclosed in a frame that closed like a book, allowing the back of the work to be admired. In fact, if on the front side you see the two figures portrayed in profile, as was the custom for emperors on coins, on the opposite side the couple are depicted, as if carried in triumph, on two chariots heading towards each other....