Portrait of Lozana

About “Portrait of Lozana”

The Portrait of Andalucian Lozana is a 1528 novel by Francisco Delicado, published in Venice after he fled Rome due to anti-Spanish sentiment following the sack of Rome in 1527. Written anonymously, the book offers a glimpse into Rome’s underworld during the early 16th century, focusing on immigrant women from Spain and southern Italy. It includes one of the earliest recorded accounts of women producing and using beauty products. The novel is part of the dialogue-based literary tradition and is seen as an early example of the picaresque genre. Only one copy of the book survives, housed in the National Library of Austria in Vienna. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)