Pope'S Daughter - Tapa dura

Felice della Rovere was born in 1483 into an extraordinary time in Rome's history, its new Golden Age, the High Renaissance. Felice was to witness Michelangelo paint the Sistine Ceiling, her father Pope Julius II lay the foundation stone for New Saint Peter's, and herself immortalized by Raphael in the frescoes in the Vatican Palace apartments. But she was no reticent bystander. When she became regent, Felice fought off all attempts to interfere with her rule, engaging in a bitter feud with her stepson which culminated in murder. Caroline Murphy sheds fascinating light on Felice's daily life - how she dealt with squabbles amongst servants, why she always knew the exact contents of her wine cellar, and her advice on the best way to bribe a Pope.

Caroline P. Murphy was born in 1969 and grew up in Reading, Berkshire. She is now Associate Professor of Renaissance Art History at the University of California, Riverside. She is the author of Lavinia Fontana: A Painter and Her Patrons in Sixteenth-century Bologna.