We continue with part three of the story of Nastagio degli Onesti

Catch up with part one or two.

After performing his grisly deed the knight remains to view the horror he has committed. The girl lays motionless on the soft grass while the dogs sulk off to their private corners of the forest to enjoy their offal treats. Calm takes hold for just a moment. Then suddenly the girl lifts herself from the ground, her physical form restored. Eyes wide she takes in her surroundings and then lets out a shrill scream as she sees the dogs racing for her, their mouths longing for the blood that has been magically cleaned from their snouts. She flees, to be forever pursued by beasts.

“Eureka! I’ve got it!” you exclaim, inspired by the noble knight and his harlot. The next few days are a blur as you put your plan in motion. Invitations, decorations, menus, it must all be perfect if your final plot to win your beloved’s favor is to prove successful! A week passes and your friends, family, and most importantly your love gather in the clearing for a glorious feast. She is so angelic that even the resentful look in her eyes as she catches your long admiring gazes can not detract from her perfection!

Just as the final course is served the woman’s screams fill the air. The startled guests put down their forks and watch as the ghastly entertainment staged before them unfolds. The knight retells his fateful tale to his new audience before commencing with his murderous rite. As he and the girl run off to renew their chase your love rushes to you, tears streaming down her face, and professes that she does not want to meet such a fate and will receive your favors. You are to be married!

Nastagio is very clever to have won his love but is not the only clever man involved in this painting. At this point in his career Botticelli had begun to receive so many commissions he could barely keep up with them. So when he was asked to do this by Antonio Pucci as a wedding gift for Pucci’s son (Nastagio’s is an inspiring story of true love and we should all aspire to emulate it!) he may have enlisted the help of “ghost painters” Bartolomeo di Giovanni and Jacopo del Sellaio. To personalize the loving tale for his patron, Botticelli also included the father of the groom amongst the wedding guests and changed the location of the feast from Ravenna to Florence to honor the family.

What a great story, truly one to proudly pass on through the generations as a shining example of love conquering all! Or you know, a shining example of how you can threaten someone with eternal damnation if they won’t agree to do what you say. The Pucci’s weren’t the only ones who thought this story served as a good example for married couples. Versions of this scene were actually somewhat common on cassoni. Those are Italian wedding trunks. You know, the things people used to fill with new clothing items etc. for the virgin bride to be carried with her and placed at the foot of her bed as a symbol of her immovable devotion to her husband? Usually these trunks were decorated with images of the Virgin Mary or symbols of fertility to bless the union. I guess the snarky brides got this narrative?

The fourth and final panel is unfortunately in a private collection, but you can see it in my blog on the Sartler!