The story follows Lucrezia, a quiet, observant girl who prefers the company of animals and her art supplies to the rigid expectations of the Florentine court. When her sister dies on the eve of her wedding, Lucrezia is thrust into her place, marrying Alfonso II d’Este, Duke of Ferrara.
💡 Keep your phone nearby to look up the real "Portrait of Lucrezia de' Medici" while you read—it makes the descriptions even more haunting. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
Maggie O’Farrell’s The Marriage Portrait is a vivid, sensory immersion into Renaissance Italy. It reimagines the life of Lucrezia de’ Medici, the young duchess immortalised in Robert Browning’s poem, "My Last Duchess." 🎨 The Premise The story follows Lucrezia, a quiet, observant girl