King Matthias and His Wife Beatrix
by ROMANO, Gian Cristoforo, Marble and jade, 55 x 39 cm (each)
The two reliefs representing King Matthias of Hungary and his wife Beatrix (Beatrice) are probably the works of Gian Cristoforo Romano. They belonged to the famous - and later largely destroyed - art collection of King Matthias.
Beatrice of Aragon (1457-1508) was the daughter of the king of Naples Ferrante I of Aragon and Isabella of Chiaramonte. She received an exceptional education. Following various failed marriage negotiations, Ferrante successfully contracted Beatrice’s engagement to Matthias Corvinus, king of Hungary (1443-1490) in 1474. On September 15, 1476, Beatrice was married by proxy to Corvinus and ceremonially crowned in the church of Incoronata, Naples. The official coronation took place in Sz�kesfeh�rv�r, Hungary, on December 12, 1476, with Corvinus’s blessing. The court historian Antonio Bonfiini recounted the pomp and spectacle of the extravagant banquets, jousting tournaments, and other festivities held in honour of the royal couple in the subsequent days.