Caterina Sagredo Barbarigo
Caterina Sagredo Barbarigo, was a Venetian aristocrat and somewhat notorious salon holder.
Biography
She was the daughter of Gerardo Sagredo (of the aristocratic Sagredo family). She married twice: Antonio Pisaro in 1732, and Gregorio Barbarigo (of the aristocratic Barbarigo family) in 1739. her only daughter was Contarina Barbarigo.
Caterina Sagredo Barbarigo was famous for her beauty and intellectual pursuits, was described as a skillful rider and became known for her travels. She hosted a literary salon counted among the most notable in contemporary Venice, and supported the inoculator Domeniceti.
Caterina Sagredo Barbarigo is also known for her conflict with the Venetian Inquisition. She operated a popular casino at the Giudecca. Venice become famous for its casinos at this point. The clergy and the Inquisition found these businesses scandalous, because at the casinos, both men and women from the nobility could mix freely. In prior centuries, women of the Venetian nobility had seldom been allowed to congregate with men, but during the 18th century, this underwent a sharp contrast, a development which started when Chiara, Maddalena and Laura Contarini, daughters of doge Domenico II Contarini, had stopped using the zoccoli. The Inquisition saw the gender mixing at the newly established casinos as a symbol of this, and also banned noblewomen from frequenting them. Caterina was indicted and her casino was closed by order of the Inquisition 6 April 1747. Her case became famous, but it did not stop the development: already in 1751, another female noble, Marina Sagredo Pisani, opened a new casino, and in 1767 the Inquisition allowed noblewomen to frequent the casinos on the condition that they cover their faces.
Caterina Sagredo Barbarigo is the model of several famous paintings of Rosalba Carriera.
References
- Louisa Lauw: The Dogaressa
- Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Isobel Grundy
- Venice: History of the Floating City, Joanne M. Ferraro
- A Companion to Venetian History, 1400-1797
- The Empire of Stereotypes: Germaine de Staël and the Idea of Italy, Robert Casillo
- Concise Dictionary of Women Artists, Delia Gaze
- Pietro Longhi, Gabriel Bella: scene di vita veneziana, Giorgio Busetto, Palazzo Grassi
- Giambattista Tiepolo, 1696-1770: Catalog of an Exhibition Held at the Museo ...Giovanni Battista Tiepol
- A Venetian Affair: A True Tale of Forbidden Love in the 18th Century, Andrea Di Robilant
- Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 6 (1964)