An alluring sight of music: the musical ‘courtesan’ in the Cinquecento

The figure of the courtesan features in many literary and artistic productions of the Italian Cinquecento. The term ‘musical courtesan’ has been widely used to describe several portraits produced in the first half of the 16th century representing beautiful young women (belle) in different attires playing the lute. This article problematizes the notion of the ‘musical courtesan’ and argues instead that these depictions of belle should be understood in terms of the varied interpretations that might be reached by 16th-century viewers. Such portraits could convey higher ideals such as the institution of marriage of the contemplation of beauty. Case-studies are offered of portraits by Andrea Solario (1460–1524), Bartolomeo Veneto (1502–55), Parrasio Micheli (c.1516–78) and Palma Vecchio (c.1480–1528) that show beautiful, young female lutenists in different attires.