Onorata Rodiani (or Honorata Rodiana) (1403–1452) was a "semi-legendary" Echols and Williams, p. 358

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

and

condottiere ''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Europe ...

. She was born at

Castelleone Castelleone (; locally ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cremona in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan and about northwest of Cremona. Castelleone borders the following municipalities: Cappella Ca ...

near

Cremona Cremona (, also ; ; lmo, label= Cremunés, Cremùna; egl, Carmona) is a city and ''comune'' in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po river in the middle of the ''Pianura Padana'' ( Po Valley). It is the capital of th ...

, and also later died there.

Killing a cremonese courtier

The anecdote for which she is best known was first described in 1590 by Conrado Flameno in his ''Storia di Castelleone'' (''History of Castelleone''). According to him, she was commissioned by Cabrino Fondolo,

tyrant A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to rep ...

of the town of

, to decorate his palace with paintings; it is the only record of a commission given to a woman in the

Quattrocento The cultural and artistic events of Italy during the period 1400 to 1499 are collectively referred to as the Quattrocento (, , ) from the Italian word for the number 400, in turn from , which is Italian for the year 1400. The Quattrocento encom ...

. Greer, p. 172 While she was painting a

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

, which was her speciality, a young

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official r ...

behaved indecently towards her. She killed him with a

knife A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidenced ...

and fled "disguised as a man". Flameno quotes her as saying:

Life as a soldier

The 1590 ''Storia di Castelleone'' goes on to say that Onorata Rodiani, while tried and pardoned by Cabrino Fondolo, entered the service of Oldrado Lampugnano, a

(mercenary commander), as a

cavalryman Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry in ...

in 1423. Flameno says that she did this "unknown to all", and then lived "with her name and her clothing changed", suggesting her as an example of

crossdressing during wartime Many people have engaged in cross-dressing during wartime under various circumstances and for various motives. This has been especially true of women, whether while serving as a soldier in otherwise all-male armies, while protecting themselves or ...

. She then served with several

captains Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, including Conrado Sforza, brother of

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

Francesco Sforza Francesco I Sforza (; 23 July 1401 – 8 March 1466) was an Italian condottiero who founded the Sforza dynasty in the duchy of Milan, ruling as its (fourth) duke from 1450 until his death. In the 1420s, he participated in the War of L'A ...

. While under his command, in 1452, she supposedly came to the aid of her hometown of Castelleone, besieged by the

republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

. The

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...

was raised but she was mortally wounded, carried into the town, and there, after being "recognized with great amazement", she died. Flameno concludes this episode with another quotation from Onorata:

Historicity

As stated before, the historicity of Onorata Rodiani is unsure. Conrado Flameno, in both quotes he attributes to Onorata,

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophonic ...

s on her name : Onorata means "honoured" in Italian, and Onorata, in both cases, speaks about "living honoured". According to Flameno, she was buried in the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of Castelleone, but a new parish church was built in Castelleone in the 16th century, and no trace of her tomb was found. Her legend is nevertheless alive in Castelleone, and two unfinished wall-paintings in the palazzo Galeotti-Vertua, thought to be the palace where Gabrino Fondolo resided, are sometimes attributed to her. There are several versions regarding the works that Onorata was painting before having to flee. A 19th century version of her life states that she was painting in

tempera Tempera (), also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. Tempera also refers to the paintings done ...

on dry

plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for Molding (decorative), moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of ...

, which would explain that none of her works survived to be attributed to her beyond reasonable doubt. On the other hand, if she truly did paint

affresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of Mural, mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the ...

, it would mean a long training to master this difficult technique -- "a circumstance even more remarkable, in those days when women were comparatively often to be seen in command of troops, than her serving under the '' condotierri''". The name of another woman, Caterina dei Vigri, who was eventually

canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of Cult (religious practice), public veneration and enterin ...

, appears on a

painting from 1456, and it was reported by her biographer and friend that Caterina dei Vigri did indeed paint, notably

miniature A miniature is a small-scale reproduction, or a small version. It may refer to: * Portrait miniature, a miniature portrait painting * Miniature art, miniature painting, engraving and sculpture * Miniature (chess), a masterful chess game or problem ...

s. Paintings by Caterina have recently been discovered. As to Onorata's service as a soldier, the dates given by Conrado Flameno are coherent with what is known of military events in 15th century

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. This could either mean there is some truth in Flameno's account, or that he took care to frame Onorata's myth into what he knew had happened more than a century before his own time.

In popular culture

The figure of Onorata appears in the novel '' Ash: A Secret History'' by

Mary Gentle Mary Rosalyn Gentle (born 29 March 1956) is a UK science fiction and fantasy author. Literary career Mary Gentle's first published novel was ''Hawk in Silver'' (1977), a young-adult fantasy. She came to prominence with the '' Orthe'' duology, w ...

, in which her episode with the Cremonese courtier is suggested to be

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

, but she does command a mercenary company in the novel, and meets with her counterpart and main character, Ash.Gentle, Mary. ''Ash: A Secret History'', London: Gollancz, 2000.

Notes and references

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodiani, Onorata 1403 births 1452 deaths 15th-century condottieri 15th-century Italian women Artists from the Province of Cremona Female wartime cross-dressers Women soldiers Date of death unknown Date of birth unknown People from Castelleone Women in war in Italy Women in 15th-century warfare People whose existence is disputed