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Renaissance Italy - 2/13/2007 4:40:24 PM

frannie

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Hi All,

I am doing some research and I am wondering if anyone out there can guide me to a source for S & M in the Renaissance Period in Italy 12th to 15th century - give or take a century. I would like reading material on early "alternative life styles". I am sure such material exists just look at the art of the period. The golden shower of coins from Jupiter to Danae - all the Leda and the Swan - so much seems to me to refer to the lifestyle. Anyone haveing any info. I'd be appreciative to hear from you.

Thanks so much.

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RE: Renaissance Italy - 2/13/2007 5:27:33 PM

KenDckey

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I personally would look at some of the web sites in Florence, Pistoria, Montecatini Termne, and Toscana. Especially museums and religious sites. I can't think of any off hand, but I remember seeing some torture devices there.

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RE: Renaissance Italy - 2/14/2007 4:40:37 AM

aviinterra

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I don't think you will find much. Sexuality, at least speaking of it or even allusions, were rare and restricted by the Church, which was fully in power at those times. Anything that you might be looking for, as in more daring and concretely sexual, would have gone up in flames when Savenarola came into power and halted artistic expression. Sadists and their counterpart certainly existed in those times, just not in the form of the lifestyle we have today. An Inquisitor could most certainly be a sadist, but you have to remember he did not do this for the pleasure of the woman or man at the other end, and often this sadism can be intermingled with religious passion. Life was brutal and painful back then and rape was a sort of looting of another man's property and not an erotic fantasy. With limited spread of info. and the topic taboo, most Europeans did not actually know that there is more than a single position for having sex, as was the case when explorers came to China and introduced the missionary position there in exchange for more exotic ones.While sexuality is complicated, you will be hard pressed to find our current lifestyle in an era when the word sadism did not even exist. Just my thoughts.
Edited for my crappy grammer.

< Message edited by aviinterra -- 2/14/2007 4:42:52 AM >

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RE: Renaissance Italy - 2/14/2007 4:48:38 AM

meatcleaver

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The best thing to do would be to read up on the sexuality of the time and interpret the artworks yourself. There is a lot of pornography to go at, many of the painting depicting classical myths which are full of nudes, such as Bottecelli's Venus were for the most part kept behind curtains, to be viewed by the patron and friends in private. Bernini's Extacy of St Tresa was recognised for what it was, a woman in the throws of a physical orgasm and just look where the putti's arrow was pointing. There is sex galore but I've never seen or heard of any books that have concentrated on the sex or indeed S&M aspect of the sex. Perhaps there is a book to be written and one I would imagine that would be popular.

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