Theories and practices on the female body at the court of Lucrezia Borgia: the Enneas muliebris of Ludovico Bonaccioli among philosophy, medicine, and erudition

Resumen

This paper aims to present and contextualize Bonaccioli’s Enneas muliebris, first published in 1502-3 and recurrently printed (in various defective forms) within important 16th and 17th-century gynaeciae collections. In the background of the rise of the figure of the male gynecologist, this work offers an interesting example of manual designed for an educated audience interested in acquiring a basic knowledge of the theories and practices concerning the female body. Remarkably, despite his acceptance of the Aristotelian-Galenic framework, Bonaccioli promotes a reform, inspired by medical humanism, of the latin medical nomenclature, in order to describe more accurately the anatomy of the female genitalia and the foetal development; moreover, he introduces a vision of the woman which enhances the specificity of female body and sexuality. In so doing, on the one hand he responds to the expectations of a new female audience; on the other, he imposes on women an instrument of discipline and control.