VICENZA.- Intesa Sanpaolo is presenting Faustina's Braids: Hairstyles, Women, and Power in the Renaissance, an exhibition curated by Howard Burns, Vincenzo Farinella, and Mauro Mussolin.

Gatherings works from national and international museums, as well as from the Intesa Sanpaolo collection, the exhibition addresses a fundamental aspect of Renaissance art, culture, society, and antiquarian studies: women's hairstyles.

Aiming at offering an insight into the fascinating and complex world of hairstyles in the 15th and 16th centuries, the exhibition features a selection of approximately 70 works, such as busts – from imperial to Renaissance ones – as well as paintings, sculptures, ancient coins, modern medals, drawings, and volumes, exploring the artistic possibilities that women’s hairstyles offered, as well as their importance and relevance in Italian society.

Michele Coppola, Executive Director of Art, Culture, and Historical Heritage at Intesa Sanpaolo, states: "In the evocative setting of Palazzo Leoni Montanari, we open a project capable of surprising for the beauty of the exhibited works and the originality of the connecting theme, bringing masterpieces to Vicenza from antiquity to the Renaissance that still offer relevant reflections today. The origin of the loans narrates the international scope of the initiative and confirms the Bank's contribution, through the Gallerie d’Italia museum project, to enrich a city strongly tied to the history of our indispensable commitment to culture."

The exhibition is titled after one of the most spectacular and famous hairstyles of the time, that of Empress Faustina the Elder, wife of Antoninus Pius, which became a symbol of marital harmony and love. Always included in the most celebrated Renaissance antiquarian collections, both by artists such as Lorenzo Ghiberti and Andrea Mantegna, and by patrons like Lorenzo the Magnificent and Isabella d'Este, her bust became a celebrated artistic model. Numerous copies and reinterpretations gave great visibility to the eccentric hairstyle, which ended up being adopted by many women, especially in the Veneto region.

The exhibition unfolds through eight rooms. After a prologue dedicated to the theme of "Berenice's Hair," the first room recounts the rediscovery of the portrait of Faustina the Elder and her unique hairstyle. This portrait and hairstyle captivated many prominent fifteenth-century artists such as Lorenzo Ghiberti, Filarete, Andrea Mantegna, and Giovanni Bellini. The second room succinctly traces the history of female portraiture in Greek and Roman art, showcasing the diverse hairstyles chosen by ancient women. The third room illustrates the liberation of women's hair, achieved in the 15th century thanks to the prestige of classical models. The fourth room presents a necessary and inevitable comparison with male hairstyles, which, like their female counterparts, were products of the revival of classical models combined with more modern sensibilities. The fifth room revisits Michelangelo's interest in depicting female hair, examining drawings featuring "divine heads" and the invention of Leda. The sixth room considers hairstyles as evidence of the new visibility of women in society and their ability to express dress codes suitable for very different contexts, from courts to brothels. The seventh room is dedicated to the attention shown by cinema to both ancient and modern women's hairstyles. The eighth and final room documents how Faustina's hairstyle – the red thread of the exhibition – continued to exert great fascination even in the Neoclassical era, especially in the portraiture of Antonio Canova.

The exhibition space gathers a selection of portraits featuring Renaissance protagonists such as Lucrezia Borgia, Isabella d’Este, Vittoria Colonna, and Eleonora da Toledo. It delves into the expressiveness of hairstyles in official portraiture, highlighting how these women used them to convey cultural values and behavioral models.

As part of the exhibition, there will be meetings, events, and an extensive programme of free educational activities for students and families.

The exhibition catalogue is published by Edizioni Gallerie d’Italia | Skira.