In and Out of the Baroque Palace: Noblewomen and Urban Space in Seventeenth-Century Rome

It is often assumed that the opposition between the private space of the home and the public outside space framed the life of early modern women. Noblewomen, in particular, are usually described as restricted to the home environment and hence lacking influence in a period in which the practice of visiting had not yet become a quotidian elite occupation. This essay will question the sharp distinction often drawn between inside and outside and, by taking as case-study the Spada residence in Rome, suggests that the palace was in reality a highly porous space, from which women could maintain regular contacts with the social, political, commercial and artisanal activities of the city. On the one hand, moving attention away from the most attractive sections of the palace, it will highlight the role performed by the back courtyard as space of direct communication between the street and the internal service area, controlled by women. On the other hand, it will chart the recurrent destinations of noblewomen when they ventured out of the palace, accompanied by a maidservant, and highlight how their regular church-going and convent visits were a source of empowerment. Normally regarded simply as pious sites, these spaces were magnets of news and rumours and one of the channels through which, in spite of their limited mobility, noblewomen managed to maintain a constant control over all sorts of confidential matters potentially affecting the balance of power between noble families. Thanks also to the intense activity of letter-writing and the complicity of their servants, noblewomen were often the principal source of vital information within the family, and, by disseminating the knowledge they acquired, were able to influence events and public opinions. Despite their relative seclusion noblewomen contributed significantly to the public and political life of the city.