English translation of Artemisia's letters to her lover Francesco Maria



Archivio Storico Frescobaldi,

3 October 2020 – 24 January 2021

The National Gallery, London

English translation of

Artemisia’s letters to her lover

Francesco Maria Maringhi

he letters were first transcribed and published

by Francesco Solinas in 2011 and a revised edition will

appear shortly (F. Solinas (ed.), Lettere di Artemisia,

Rome 2020). Artemisia’s erratic punctuation and

grammar have been retained to reflect the Italian

original a

s much as possible.

Archivio Storico Frescobaldi,

3 October 2020 – 24 January 2021

The National Gallery, London

English translation of

Artemisia’s l

etters to her lover

Francesco Maria Maringhi

The letters were first transcribed and published

by Francesco Solinas in 2011 and a revised edition will

appear shortly (F. Solinas (ed.), Lettere di Artemisia,

Rome 2020). Artemisia’s erratic punctuation and

grammar have been retained to reflect the Italian

original

as much as possible.

In 2011, a group of letters written by Artemisia to her

Florentine lover Francesco Maria Maringhi was discovered.

Mostly exchanged once the couple were living in different

cities, the small selection displayed in the exhibition

offers a glimpse into Artemisia’s most intimate thoughts

and feelings. Having taught herself to read and write,

her letters are full of grammatical mistakes and phonetic

spellings. Nevertheless, Artemisia communicates with

equal fervour about the urgent return of her belongings,

the loss of her son Cristofano, and her yearning for her

distant lover. Her strong personality comes sharply into

focus, forcing us to adjust any preconceptions we might

have of her as a victim. Instead, a witty, passionate woman

emerges, determined to control her own destiny and gain

the respect she deserves.

All these letters are preserved in the Archivio Storico

Florence, undated (1618–19)

the Illustrious Signore Francesco Maringhi

Florence

My dearest heart

I should like for Your Lordship to come here as soon as possible, as I

wish to travel to Bologna, and yet I should ﬁrst like to speak to Your

Lordship, and if it is Your Lordship’s wish that I should come to you,

please do not leave the house tomorrow, as I do not want to wait

and increase my suffering. I shall sign off here and bid you farewell.

Your Lordship’s affectionate

Artemisia Lomi

Rome, 25 March 1620

To the Most Illustrious Signor Francesco Maria Maringhi,

my most honoured master, may God preserve him.

Florence

My Lord

Such is my desire to see you that I am on the point of coming to you

with the pretext of the painting, but I also pray that Your Lordship

may have my possessions returned to me so that I may set my house

in order as it was before. Now, if you wish me to come to you and

if you love me, I will see to it. I pray that your Lordship will address

this letter to hotesio pilota [presumably a pseudonym], otherwise

I fear they will be taken away, now do as you wish. I would love

to see you, and I believe that Your Lordship would love to see me,

but you will see me very different to when I left: indeed you will

not recognise me now I am twice as large. I shall be changed in

body and Your Lordship in soul, and thus we will have created

Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and it will not be good for us. Give me

your answer as soon as you can and may God preserve you. From

Rome, the ﬁrst day of the year sixteen hundred and twenty, your

affectionate servant, Artemisia Lomi.

// reverse //

I have taken the inventory and do not know [missing text] who I

know was the one who found it now Your Lordship [missing text]

and do not give anything to anyone.

Rome, 11 April 16

To the Illustrious Signore Fortunio Fortuni [the pseudonym

they assumed in their correspondence] may God preserve him

in Florence

Comfort of my life,

I have received two letters from Your Lordship, causing me much

distress to hear that Your Lordship was put to great trouble on my

account, although it is a matter of much distress to me that I was

unable to come to a solution such that my possessions did not have to

be sold, and I myself do not know what Love led me to do, but since

I have been left with nothing, I shall remain here living like a hermit. I

now see that fortune has turned her back on me, as she is robbing me

of all things dear and useful to me, and for proof, consider that God

has taken my son away from me, it is now ﬁve days since he died and I

have been dying of grief. It has occurred to me that the love that Your

Lordship felt so strongly for me is beginning to leave you, because I see

that you cannot take the time to write to me, you only send me two

lines and yet if you loved me it would never ﬁnish. It is enough that

Your Lordship tells me that you feel worse than ever. Farewell, and if

hearts could be seen, we would see great things, and believe me

// reverse //

Signor Mar.[inghi], that it is my lot to suffer so very greatly and not

yours, since Your Lordship has directed your ﬂames [of passion]

elsewhere. I believe that Your Lordship has substituted yours with

mine, and I wish I were permitted to give my explanations to Signor

Bellerofonte [Maringhi’s acquaintance Bellerofonte Castaldi], who

would also acknowledge how much greater my suffering is than yours.

Enough, things could not be worse for me. Your Lordship, who is my

only cure, my heart is close to death, remember she who loves you so

much. Farewell and an end to both good and ill, which have brought

me both distress and joy, from Rome on the 11th April 1620.

Your Most Illustrious Lordship’s,

Most Affectionate Servant

Fortunio Fortuni

Rome, 26 June 1620

To the Illustrious Signore Fortunio Fortuni may God preserve him in

Florence

My heart,

I have received from your Lordship one of those [letters] that are my

comfort and bring me back from death to life, and were you aware

of the joy that I feel, I am sure that if it’s true that you love me you

would equally feel joy. Your Lordship tells me that you know no

other woman besides your right hand, envied by me so much, for it

possesses that which I cannot possess myself, and then you thank

me for having offered you my house. Oh, my dear life! You do me

wrong, as you well know that I am yours so long as I still draw breath.

The only thing that destroys me is not seeing you near me, and rest

assured that I await you as one awaits God’s grace, that I am resolved

not to engage in that pursuit except with you, and if you do not

come, I would never ever want to break my celibacy. But I leave you,

my soul, to think about the state I am in, I cannot control my feelings

in my heart when I receive letters from you. I have held fast so far, but

ﬁnd it hard to take heart for the future, as I know what state I am in.

I would urge you with all my heart not to use that portrait of mine,

doing that impossible thing that

// reverse //

remember you promised not to do but which perhaps Your Lordship

does. I would only remind you that it is a great sin, and I want you to

remember that I love your soul as much as your body, so my darling

thank me if you love me. Nothing more to say and may God preserve

you, on this day the twenty-sixth of June.

Completely wholly Your Lordship’s, Artemisia Lomi