Space and Wellness: Philippine Welser in Schloss Ambras 

Unidentified Artist, Philippine Welser, oil on canvas, c. 1557, Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Portrait Gallery

This paper focuses on Philippine Welser (1527-1580), the morganatic wife of the Governor of Tyrol, Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria (1529-1595). Philippine was the owner of Schloss Ambras in her own right, legitimizing her own power and autonomy beyond her marriage. Having been largely erased from the historical narrative following her death, then reintroduced to the public memory in the Victorian era as a vapid beauty, this project seeks to examine Philippine’s medical knowledge and personhood within the contexts of Schloss Ambras’s spaces. Philippine was renowned for her healing prowess, a practice rooted in both Renaissance superstitions and empirical knowledge, despite this era being one of women being increasingly excluded from formal medical practice with the rise of formalized medical schools in the 15th and 16th centuries. Philippine’s medical and botanical education was supported by her mother Anna Welser (née Adler), who conducted her own medical research, particularly dentistry and the differences in how illnesses impact children and adults. This paper examines Philippine’s Cookbook and Pharmacopeia, both commissioned by Anna Welser, reflect a progressive understanding of medicine, food, and the human body. Philippine’s handwritten notes in the margins of these books demonstrate her engagement with broader Renaissance scientific discourse. Philippine Welser’s contributions to medicine, alchemy, and scientific studies illustrates the significant, yet often overlooked, roles women played in early modern medical history.