Entertainments under Sigmund and Katharina

Sigmund and Katharina made every effort to accommodate Bianca Maria in the utmost comfort, the dances described by the Ferrarese ambassador being just one example of the courtly festivities held in her honour: in addition to “L’Ungaresca” dance mentioned here – a ballo* in the Hungarian style known to have been performed at the Milanese court – the second page of this letter (not shown here) mentions another dance: “qua se fa uno Ballo dimandato pizighitone al quale le m[ilanes]e non stiano adaptarse” (here they have a dance called the Pizighitone, which the Milanese cannot get used to).[32]

On 28 December, the queen herself wrote to her uncle Ludovico Sforza (“Il Moro”) of the festivities over the Christmas period, and the time she had spent with the Archduchess, including their participation in dancing and games, in public and private (“parte in ballare e parte in videre zugare la prefata Domina Archiducesa con alchuni altri Signori et cavaleri de li suoi et de li nostri. E queste feste qualchi volta sono facte in publico, et qualchi volta privatamente ne la camera nostra.”[33]). Maximilian’s Secretary Oswald von Hausen wrote to his colleague Zyprian von Serntein of Bianca Maria’s enjoyment of the dances at court, especially those in the Italian style, noting that the Italian ladies danced with such light feet, as if “auf ayrn, das die nicht prächn” (“on eggs, that they should not break).[34] Maximilian also received news of the festivities, and Bianca Maria’s growing friendship with Katharina (despite their lack of knowledge of each other’s native tongue), from Eitel Friedrich, the Count of Hohenzollern:

So sind bede Ewr mt. gemahell und die herczogin gutt gespillen wan sy nur mitt ain ander reden konden doch kartend sy und danczen mitt ain ander und sechen dem renen und stechen zu.

(Both Your Majesty’s wife and the Duchess have become good friends. If only they could speak with each other. Yet they play cards and dance with each other and watch the jousts).[35]

The two women shared a love of music. In 1486 payments were made to the lute-maker Erhart Pöcht in Arzl near Innsbruck “umb ain Lauten, umb ain Fuetral auch etlich Sayten meiner gnedigen Frauen” (i.e. Katharina) and again “umb zwo Lauten mit Futraln” for her;[36] in 1506 Bianca Maria wrote to Isabella d’Este, Marchioness of Mantua, requesting that she send a clavichord to her, as there was none to be found in Innsbruck.[37]