Self-portrait in a Convex Mirror (c. 1524), Oil on convex panel, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. 24.4 cm diameter (9.6 in)
Parmigianino's portrait differs from other Renaissance female portraits in several ways. Her active pose — with her face turned toward the left and her body to the right — is common in depictions of men of the time, but not women. Also, her direct gaze and lively expression stand out when compared to the reserved, aloof expressions often seen in Renaissance portraits of women, in which it was considered appropriate to retain a dignified modesty. Finally, the Pegasus ornament on her headdress is an accessory borrowed from men's fashion: it is likely a hat badge, an adornment worn almost exclusively by Renaissance men that bears a personal, usually humanist, emblem.
With her frank expression, typically 'masculine' pose, and an accessory appropriated from male fashion, it seems reasonable to believe that the Schiava Turca was intended to be seen not so much as the passive recipient of male poetic dedication, but to be regarded as a poet herself. After all, she wears on her head — the source of intellect and creativity — an emblem of Pegasus, the symbol of poetic inspiration.
When representing a sitter as a poet, Renaissance painters would sometimes include an attribute of the writer's profession, such as a pen, book, or sheet of poetry. Parmigianino does not mark the Schiava Turca as a poet with an explicit attribute; he chose instead for her to hold an ostrich-feather fan, a luxury item commonly owned by Northern Italian noblewomen. The fan she holds so prominently before her may, however, be interpreted as a play on words that occurs in poetry of the period: in Italian, the words piume and penne mean 'feathers' and, in their singular forms (piuma and penna), 'pen.' Rather than holding an explicit symbol of a poet, Parmigianino's Schiava Tura may instead be challenging the viewer to decipher a clever play on words that identifies her profession. The artist seems to enter into the competition between painting and poetry by using a tool of the poet — word play — to paint his portrait.
If there was a practical function for the gold chain visible through the slashes of the Schiava Turca's right sleeve, it is unknown. Usually gold chains were used to connect fans or similar items to a belt worn around a woman’s waist, but the chain in the portrait does not seem attached to anything. Figuratively, the chain evokes a central motif in Renaissance poetry of 'the chains of love' and the power of love to enslave its conquests. It also may allude to the idea of Love chained by Chastity, which is a Petrarchan theme. Perhaps Parmigianino intended this detail to be more evocative than direct, compelling his audience to engage in a witty game of poetic invention, enticing the viewer into a more complex interpretation of his art.
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