Politics, and Not Poetics: A Reading of Guido Cavalcanti's Sonnet “Una figura della Donna mia”

Guido Cavalcanti's sonnet “Una figura della Donna mia” is typically interpreted as a self-conscious burlesque of stilnovistic tropes. The poem deals with the image of the Virgin Mary in Orsanmichele, which in 1292 gained the reputation of being miraculous. However, this article makes the case that it is the product of the factional struggles in Florence between the followers of Vieri de' Cerchi (subsequently called the “Whites”) and those of Corso Donati (subsequently called the “Blacks”). Cavalcanti addressed it to Guido Orlandi, a member of the opposing faction, who responded angrily. Close examination of the two sonnets indicates the factional divide between the two poets.