The Tiger's Bride

Task One: Researching 

Andrea Mantegna
"Andrea Mantegna was an Italian painter, a student of Roman archaeology, and son in law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with perspective, e.g., by lowering the horizon in order to create a sense of greater monumentality. His flinty, metallic landscapes and somewhat stony figures give evidence of a fundamentally sculptural approach to painting. He also led a workshop that was the leading producer of prints in Venice before 1500."

[source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Mantegna]

Guilio Romana
"Giulio Romano (c. 1499 – 1 November 1546) was an Italian painter and architect. A pupil of Raphael, his stylistic deviations from high Renaissance classicism help define the 16th-century style known as Mannerism. Giulio's drawings have long been treasured by collectors; contemporary prints of them engraved by Marcantonio Raimondi were a significant contribution to the spread of 16th-century Italian style throughout Europe."

[source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giulio_Romano]

Benvenuto Cellini 
"Benvenuto Cellini,  (born Nov. 1, 1500, Florence—died Feb. 13, 1571, Florence), Florentine sculptor, goldsmith, and writer, one of the most important Mannerist artists and, because of the lively account of himself and his period in his autobiography, one of the most picturesque figures of the Renaissance."

[source: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/101559/Benvenuto-Cellini]

Task Two: Glossary 

assuage - make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense.

awry - away from the usual or expected course; amiss.

axium - a statement or proposition which is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true.

capisco (translate)  - means to see

ciliate - a single-celled animal of a large and diverse phylum distinguished by the possession of cilia or ciliary structures.

civet - a slender nocturnal carnivorous mammal with a barred and spotted coat and well-developed anal scent glands, native to Africa and Asia.

desnuda (translate)  -  nude, naked, bare

excoriating - damage or remove part of the surface of (the skin).

expostulating - express strong disapproval or disagreement.

eyrie - a large nest of an eagle or other bird of prey, built high in a tree or on a cliff.

gavotte - a medium-paced French dance, popular in the 18th century.

gracile  - (of a hominid species) of slender build.

megalomaniac - a person who has an obsessive desire for power.

metaphysical  - of or relating to things that are thought to exist but that cannot be seen

minuet - a slow, stately ballroom dance for two in triple time, popular especially in the 18th century.

molto agitato (translate) - very agitated

Nascent - (especially of a process or organization) just coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential.

obsequiousness - marked by or exhibiting a fawning attentiveness

ostler - a man employed to look after the horses of people staying at an inn.

patina - 1. a green or brown film on the surface of bronze or similar metals, produced by oxidation over a long period.

             2.the impression or appearance of something.

preternatural - beyond what is normal or natural.

Profligate  - recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources.

settecento - the 18th cent. as a period in Italian art and literature

shagreen - harkskin used as a decorative material or, due to its natural rough surface of pointed scales, as an abrasive.

simian simulacra - An image or representation of someone or something:

soubrette - a minor female role in a comedy, typically that of a pert maidservant.

spar - a thick, strong pole such as is used for a mast or yard on a ship.

spurious - not being what it purports to be; false or fake.

tantivy - a rapid gallop or ride.

tintinnabulation - a ringing or tinkling sound.

viscera - the internal organs in the main cavities of the body, especially those in the abdomen, e.g. the intestines.