Katerina Dolfin: Cortigiana Del Perdono Katerina Dolfin: Courtesan of Forgiveness 卡特琳娜·道芬: 寬恕夫人

"Sale of Indulgences for the Sin of Lust

Vendita Indulgenze per il Peccato di Lussuria"

Indulgence for Sale

Iubilaeum AD MMXXV

Did you sin in lust's embrace?

Redeem your passion, save your grace.

Price:

2 doublooms for a light transgression

More doublooms for a deeper confession...

Say the prayer, pay the fee,

And your sin will be set free.

Available only to hearts truly repentent!

Katerina Dolfin was an Italian (Venetian) poet who lived in Venice from May 8, 1736, to November 14, 1793. Caterina was the daughter of N.D. Donata Salamon and N.H. Ser Antonio Giovanni Dolfin, who belonged to a secondary branch of one of the oldest families in Venetian aristocracy. It was well known that Caterina's father had wasted the family's wealth, leaving his wife and daughter with significant debts after his death in 1753.

In 1755, the young "nobildonna" made a suitable marriage with Marcantonio Tiepolo, a member of another influential noble family which had the means to relieve the Dolfins of their debts. The marriage of Caterina with Marcantonio Tiepolo achieved great notoriety in Venetian society. It is understood that in 1756, only months after her marriage, Katerina entered into a relationship with Andrea Tron, a Statesman, and also member of the aristocracy, although not of the antiquity of the Dolfins. Very shortly after her affair began, Caterina filed for divorce, the matter was subject of great scandal, but its records, preserved until this day, have been of great interest for academics, containing a rich testimony of the rules, customs and social complexity of Venetian aristocracy. After years of scandal, the divorce was granted in 1772, upon which she married Tron, who used his marriage to enter into the innermost circles of society, and stately institutions, achieving the prestigious office of "Procurator of Saint Mark", the next most important post to that of Doge. From then on, Katerina Dolfin Tron was known as the "Procuratessa".

In 1757, Katerina made her debut as a writer under a pseudonym. Her most famous work was a collection of sonnets inspired by her father, which were published in 1767–68. She was a center of a circle of intellectuals and held a prestigious literary salon. Among her guests were Gaspare Gozzi. In several testimonies of her time, Katerina Dolfin was described as a beautiful, kind, cultivated and refined woman, admired for her brilliant conversation, her graceful poetry and prose. She was also an assistant of Gasparo Gozzi. In 1772, Dolfin was famously called before the Venetian Inquisition because of some of the contents of her library, which were reported to have ideas from the Enlightenment.

Along with her poetry, famous entertaining and intellectual relevance, Katerina Dolfin never ceased to shock Venetian society with her scandalous affairs. One of her best known lovers was probably the twenty-seven year old Gian Galeazzo Serbelloni, Duke of San Gabrio. According to their correspondence, still extant today, it can be inferred that the affair may have begun in 1773.

On one known occasion, while Caterina was in the city, her close friend Princess Gonzaga asked her to introduce her to Venetian society. There had also been numerous scandals involving the Princess. The noble ladies of the Venetian aristocracy would not speak to her when she arrived at the Ducal Court. But Katerina Dolfin said aloud: "Ladies, this is Princess Gonzaga, who, like me, comes from a distinguished family, which I am unable to mention for many of you."

In 1778, Andrea Tron, Katerina's husband was elected senator. However, he lost the 1779 election to become Doge of Venice although he was one of the two main candidates. This is partially attributed to the political scandals surrounding Katerina at that time, as was her involvement in the "Gratarolo Affair", named after Secretary of State Antonio Gratarolo. The case consisted in a series of courtly intrigues to get the post of Ambassador to the Duchy of Savoy for one of two candidates, one supported by Gratarolo, and the other by Katerina Dolfin. In 1772, Gratarolo defeated Katerina's candidate. In 1775, a theatrical play, supposedly commissioned by Katerina, exposed Gratarolo's intrigues and affairs. In the same year of her husband's candidacy for Doge, Gratarolo answered the insult with another play, which caricatured Kolfin and her social circle, exposing her love affairs and staining her name and reputation publicly. The play destroyed Andrea Tron's chances to become Doge. The victorious candidate turned out to have a spouse even more unsuitable for the title of Dogaressa, Margherita Delmaz, but is reported to have bribed many of the electors to assure her acceptance.

In 1785, Katerina Dolfin became a widow. Despite being left a fortune, she got caught up in a fight with her ex-in-laws. She began spending more and more time at her Paduan home in 1788. She worked on a project to reform female education in her final years, but it doesn't seem to have been completed before she passed away.

My friend Ketj is a local Italian who enjoys dressing up for the Venice Carnevale. Her style is always very distinct...big hair, short skirt, a half mask and props according to the theme of her costume which differs each year. The themes can be fairy tale inspired such as The Princess and the Frog, or by novels - Around the World in 80 Days. This year, her take is very different and very interesting...based on an actual historical figure...