Editing Courtesan (section)

==Categories==
[[Image:VeronicaFranco.jpg|thumb|right|[[Veronica Franco]], famous Venetian poet and courtesan. Portrait by [[Tintoretto]].]]
One type of courtesan was known (in Italy) as the ''cortigiana onesta'', or the honest courtesan, who was cast as an intellectual. Another was the ''cortigiana di lume'', a lower class of courtesan. The former was the sort most often romanticized and treated more-or-less equal to women of the nobility. It is with this type of courtesan that the art of "courtisanerie" is best associated.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}}

The ''cortigiane oneste'' were usually well-educated and worldly (sometimes even more so than the average upper-class woman), and often held simultaneous careers as performers or artists. They were typically chosen on the basis of their "breeding"—social and conversational skills, intelligence, common sense, and companionship—as well as their physical attributes. It was usually their wit and personality that set them apart from regular women.  Sex constituted only a facet of the courtesan's array of services. For example, they were well-dressed and ready to engage and participate in a variety of topics ranging from art to music to politics.

In some cases, courtesans were from well-to-do backgrounds, and were even married—but to husbands lower on the social ladder than their clients. In these cases, their relationships with those of high social status had the potential to improve their spouses' status—and so, more often than not, the husband [[Cuckold|was aware]] of his wife's profession and dealings.<ref name="Court" />