Objects dilemmas

The poet’s ring and vena amoris

Published Apr 12, 2023 Updated Apr 12, 2023 Culture

6 min

CREATIVE ROOM

Objects dilemmas

Homepage

Love

Solidarity

Wow

0 comment

77 readss

reaction

You cannot read any more publications this month without being logged in.

To enjoy unlimited access and take full advantage of new features, log in or create an account by clicking below. It's free! Log in

The poet’s ring and vena amoris

Réka Borda

Contribute

There was a particularly bad film on TV when I was a kid about a young man who got turned into a dog by Lucrezia Borgia's cursed ring. Let's not go into the story, but rather turn to the much more interesting question: how did Lucrezia Borgia and her ring end up in a Hollywood family drama? Specifically, what made this ring so famous?

Lucrezia was descended from one of the wealthiest families in Italy. Legend has it that the noblewoman, who also happened to be Pope Alexander VI’s only daughter, always carried poison on her person, ready to pour into the drinks of political opponents. Some claim she used this hardened method to kill off lovers she tired of. In reality, of course, it was the 'press' of the time, or more precisely the wealthy families of the day, that sought to destroy