The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell: Discover What Happened to Lucrezia de’ Medici

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell has been my audiobook listen for the past few months. It’s a beautiful character study of Italian historical figure Lucrezia de’ Medici, so the nature of it meant it was very easy to dip in and out of.

The Marriage Portrait is historical fiction based on a real person. Maggie O’Farrell has said that it is based on a poem by Robert Browning, My Last Duchess which in turn is about the tragic end of 16-year old Lucrezia de’ Medici, a member of the influential Medici family.

Who is Lucrezia de’ Medici?

Set in the 1550s, 16th century Italy is wonderfully captured in Maggie O’Farrell’s prose. She effortlessly transports us back to the time and to Lucrezia’s life. At age 13, Lucrezia is promised in marriage to Alfonso d’Este, the Duke of Ferrara and by age 16, she is both married and dead. That’s not a spoiler – the book opens with this and also, it’s real-life history.

The Marriage Portrait is then Maggie’s O’Farrell’s imaging of Lucrezia de’ Medici’s life and what could have happened to her. Honestly, it is so captivating, delicate and raw.

From Lucrezia’s fascination with a tigress in her father’s zoo (a caged free spirit) to her love of painting, what makes her tick is so eloquently explored. Lucrezia is a budding artist. She loves to paint as it brings her calmness and helps her work out the world around her. The descriptions of what she paints are out of this world, you can clearly see (for example) the bird she creates, in your mind.

This is why she takes such an interest in having her own marriage portrait done. Not that she has any say in posing for it. Lucrezia is at the whim of her family and then her husband, as was the way for aristocratic women in 16th century Italy.

A stunning portrait

A real portrait of Lucrezia de’ Medici does exist (pictured above) and it’s fascinating to see once you’ve read the book. Maggie O’Farrell so perfectly describes its creation and imagines Lucrezia’s feelings in such a evocative way. I really feel like I know the woman painted above.

The Marriage Portrait is so beautifully written and on audiobook, Genevieve Gaunt was such a delight to listen to. She delivered it wonderfully and brought this amazing storytelling to life even further. She is honestly one of the best narrators I’ve listened to. Obviously the way Maggie O’Farrell can tell a story plays a pretty big role here too! Overall, just stunning.

• Audiobook narrated by Genevieve Gaunt
• Running time: 13h 28mins
• Get your copy of The Marriage Portrait here;
• Published by Tinder Press 2022;
• 448 pages;
• My rating: