Norah Sullivan

Professor Morgantini

Love, Sex, and Marriage in Renaissance Italy

27 April 2025

Sex, Power, and Art: The Role of Sex Workers in Italian Renaissance Culture

The Italian Renaissance spanned from the 14th century to the 17th century and although

there was a fluctuation of philosophical, humanistic, and artistic expression, one thing remained

constant: the diversion between genders. The attitudes toward sex and sexuality were typically

defined by Catholic religion. Which held and that sexual activity was specifically designed for

childbearing and nothing else. Sex work in the Italian renaissance is crucial for several reasons,

as it offers valuable insights into the intersection of gender, class, economics, politics, and

culture in one of the most influential periods in European history. The first establishment of the

stipulations around sex work came from medieval origins. Women’s sexual tendencies were

considered stronger than men's, and women were seen as intellectually inferior, so they had to be

controlled. Women's rights during this time were minimal. Thier roles are significant to

understanding the development of gender differences and sex work at the time. Typically, we

would associate the women who engaged in sex work in four different categories: orphans,

widows or rejected wives with finical problems, slaves, and girls from the countryside

(childbearing without marriage). It is crucial to understand the politics and the significance that

sex work had during this time because allowing relationship roles and the differences between

right and wrong allows us to grasp a different understanding of sex, love, and marriage in the

Renaissance era. This paper explores the multifactored role of sex workers in Italian Renaissance
society, examining how they were represented in art, the objects associated with them, and how

they navigated a space of both power and vulnerability in a changing cultural landscape.

There were exceptions and different ways that sex work was regulated and monitored.

The historical context provided itself with the practices of convents and brothels. Convents were

more than just places of religious practice; they were also significant social and economic

institutions, particularly for women. Certain circumstances apply to social framework and allow

us to recognize the significance of sex work in convents and brothels. According to Colin

Wilson, convents were not a place that women came to make a vow of sexual abstinence.

Instead, women were often abandoned by their families, and with no dowry could not be married

into a family of wealth, power, or significance. These women often found comfort in joining

convents. “In 1427, more than one woman in Florence was a nun” (Wilson, 39). Convents were a

place of spiritual deepening and often routed in religious deification to Christ. But there were

places where prosecution was tolerated and often frequent. An example of this is the convent of

Sant’ Angelo di Contorta, where there was often frequent documentation of women having

picnics with young men on nearby islands and having sex with them. Although in hindsight

prostitution seemed harmless, historical accounts have shown convents like these often shut

down. Prostitution was a regulated and a sanctioned part of urban life, especially in cities like

Florence, Venice, and Rome. In pervious centuries, prostitution was banned, but as a way of life,

authorized prostitution became a rule across most of Europe. Its practitioners are protected by the

law, recognized as a profession, but there were restrictions on their clothing and residence. Upon

Cosimo de’ Medici rule, “Cosimo restructured the Offices of Decency... and... In 1547 the city

legislated eighteen streets where prostitutes could legally live and work” (Rombough). The

Office of Decency helped the profession of sex workers but also punished them, as fees for such

work were demanded, resulting in a continued entrapment of poverty.

offenses that further objectification of women were shown. In some contexts, the Office of

Decency would deal out punishments that women brought forward. These cases were often ones

of sexual harassment and assault. Typically, the punishment was mild, allowing historians to

develop an understanding the women's rights were viewed as meaningless, and punishments for

specific offenses were nothing but a joke. The last thing I want to touch upon is the gender

dynamics and how women were primary sex workers. However, in the presence of sodomy, the

production of female prostates was allowed to reduce male-on-male sexual activity. Especially in

Venice, sodomy would be punished by burning the active offender, and excruciation was always

used. As for the passive offender, public whipping, banishment from the city, and often permeant

impairments from the torture were described (Wilson). Women prostitution had no result of such

punishment, deepening the further realization that women's worth and roles were nothing but a

construct of male control.

In comparison with more modern times, we can examine how art and objects portrayed

explicit norms defined by what was considered acceptable behavior within a social group. In

multiple paintings, sculptures, and artifacts, we frequently see the image of the naked female

body. Objects often defined the cultural framework that shaped the understanding of sex work

during this period. The female body itself was objectified and became a central representation of

how sex work was portrayed. We can observe this trend in bedroom decorations, musical

instruments, erotic letters, unorthodox male fellowship, clothing, and currency. Before

addressing symbols specifically associated with sex workers, it is important to discuss how erotic

and profane love appeared throughout many households. In Sara Matthews-Grieco review of

books of erotic culture, we are made aware of how sexual objects were exhibited publicly in

homes. Erotic paintings were often hung “on ceilings of bedrooms in elite palaces in Venice in
order to excite the senses and provoke correct procreative sex” (Mattews-Grieco). Even in

Catholic marriages, contemporary art encouraged sexual desire and erotic satisfaction between

spouses. Although these ideas developed overtime, and in the addition of sex work—especially

for men—further reinforced this concept, contributing to a shift in how female pleasure and roles

were perceived. Another example appears in scenes of both heterosexual and homosexual

lovemaking, which were commonly in roman wall painting and objects such as jewelry, pottery,

and oil lamps. Even music at the time occasionally alluded to sexual tendencies. Love affairs

were often romanticized, and the idea of sexual pleasure began to be realized and prioritized in

both male and female activities. These portrayals of erotic temptations confirmed many of the

fears held by moral and religious authorities. Sexual scenes were often enjoyed for private

enjoyment, blurring the boundaries between public decorum and personal indulgence.

Sex work was also represented through various symbols and objects Renaissance

practices. Clothing played a significant role in depicting the image or worth of prostitutes. The

importance of expensive clothing was to portray prostitutes as women of higher status. Elaborate

garments were considered mandatory for their profession and were frequently made by highly

skilled older women. These garments were often paid for on credit, which was played off by

their lovers. The clothing was designed to make the prostitutes desirable. The hope was that their

status would be high, particularly for those women with wealthier, more noble clients. However,

at times, these women found themselves trapped in a situation where they were responsible for

paying for their garments. In terms of money, successful prostitutes were able to gain status

through their earnings. Sex workers used their financial success to hire servants, make their own

purchases, and gain the popularity of local shopkeepers and artisans (Clarke). This money

allowed prostitutes to achieve a higher socioeconomic status, which made prostitution a

potentially viable option for women at the time. Seduction and physical attractiveness became
intertwined with societal norms, as these qualities framed the way men desired women. What we

learn for sex work in general is that men-controlled women during this time, a dynamic that

developed through history. This dynamic also confirms the idea that, as early as the Renaissance,

women were portrayed as desirable, particularly for men's enjoyment. However, it is important

to note that money in context of sex work had its drawbacks. Earnings were to be paid back in

fees and taxes, especially as prostitution began to be legalized and regulated.

Artistic representations of explicit sexuality confirm the historical constructs of the

period. The Italian Renaissance was a period marked by a fluctuation of art expression, and we

can reconstruct the idea that sexuality played an important role in the inspiration of many

paintings, sculptures, and artifacts. When analyzing art from the Renaissance era, it is essential to

examine how these figures were represented in visual culture and cultural messages conveyed

through such depictions. The representation of sex work often carries complex, multifaceted

meanings, intertwining with gender and societal norms. Below is an analysis of specific works of

art that allude to sex work during this time. By focusing on their representation, we can identify

multiple cultural implications embedded in these works. One of the most famous portrayals of a

nude women in the Renaissance, Titian’s Venus of Urbino (1538). This painting depicts the

figure of a young bride about to undergo a ritual in Venice known as il toccamano. The

ceremony was held at home, where a women would touch the hand of the groom of her arranged

marriage as a way of showing consent. Various symbols—such as the women laying naked in

rumpled sheets, her flirtatious gazes, and the bunches of roses in her hand—derive from the

illusions of love, fidelity, and the ideals of the Catholic marriage. These elements highlight the

opposition of sex work at the time, and instead historical idea of a Catholic union. Although her

nudity is bold and suggests that her body lures both erotic and classic interest, while she is

depicted as a goddess, there is a clear image of a courtesan, especially one with wealthy clients.
Her pose and gaze suggest a proactive, sexually empowered women. This is a common

representation of Renaissance art, blurring the lines between mortal and divine sexuality.

The next artwork to consider is I Modi (Taking positions), a notorious series of erotic

engravings based on designs by Giulio Romano and engraved by Marcantonio Raimondi. I Modi

consists of images depicting sexual acts, directly addresses sex as a form of artistic expression.

These images do not directly depict sex workers, but they most definitely confirm the cultural

procreation with the physicality of sex. Many of the positions reflect illicit or non-marital sexual

encounters. It is important to recognize that during the Renaissance, sex within noble marriages

was considered a ritual intended solely for reproduction—to produce an heir to continue the

family line, especially among the elite. The idea of love was often developed only after marriage.

Within the Catholic Church, a woman who had sex before marriage was commonly regarded as

“ruined.” I Modi celebrates the pleasures associated with sex and challenges the religious and

cultural norms. It is important to note that the figures in the engravings are often portrayed as a

kind of mechanical, impersonal eroticism, which speaks to the commodification of the sexual

body—potentially alluding to the kinds of interactions between clients and sex workers in the

Renaissance. In Renaissance art, depictions of sex workers—whether explicitly or implicitly

portrayed—carried layers of cultural messages that reflect the complexities of sexuality, and

gender roles. Renaissance art uses sex work as a lens through which to explore societal values,

making the study to these depictions essential to understanding the periods cultural landscape.

In conclusion, Italian Renaissance is a fascinating yet presents a complex lens that allows us to

examine the role of sex work and its cultural implications. While gender roles were very strong

defined, and the Catholic Church exerted significance influence over societal norms, sex work

provided a space where power dynamics were exploited and subtly celebrated. Through this

period, sex workers were often portrayed as both marginalized and respectful figures, as they
navigated an empowered and oppressed succession. The intricate relationship between sex work,

gender, class, and societal expectations is reflected in art and artifacts of era, where the female

body objectified, commodified, and idealized, while also challenging conventual views of

sexuality. On one hand, sex workers roles were widely tied to the exploitation of women, tying

to poverty and objectification. Secondly, prostitutes' presence in art, literature, and society

allowed for an accumulation of female agency, especially in an oppressed environment of a

highly controlled patriarchal system. The differences between these dualities help shape the

discourse on sex work today, as we wrestle with the societal tensions of questions of autonomy,

agency, and economic realities. The Renaissance highlights how sex work can cultivate how art

and culture can both reinforce societal norms. The depictions, whether from prostitutes, nudes, or

erotic imagery, continues to provoke conversations about sex, gender, and power. This historical

period shows us how complex the relationship between societal values and sex work can be. The

Renaissance laid the groundwork for contemporary debates about sex work, women's rights, and

the ongoing notation of sexual autonomy. By understanding these pushing and pulling forces of

cultural struggles and triumph of sex work throughout history we can use this information to

confirm biases of conversations about sexuality, gender equality, and societal norms.

Word count: 2,179

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