As stated before, the history of Onorata Rodiani is uncertain. Conrado Flameno, in both quotes he attributes to Onorata,
puns on her name: Onorata means "honoured" in Italian, and Onorata, in both cases, speaks about "living honoured". According to Flameno, she was buried in the
parish church of Castelleone, but a new parish church was built in Castelleone in the 16th century, and no trace of her tomb was found. Her legend is nevertheless alive in Castelleone, and two unfinished wall paintings in the
palazzo Galeotti-Vertua, thought to be the palace where
Gabrino Fondolo resided, are sometimes attributed to her. There are several versions regarding the works that Onorata was painting before having to flee. A 19th-century version of her life states that she was painting in
tempera on dry
plaster, which would explain that none of her works survived to be attributed to her beyond reasonable doubt. On the other hand, if she truly did paint
affresco, it would mean a long training to master this difficult technique -- "a circumstance even more remarkable, in those days when women were comparatively often to be seen in command of troops, than her serving under the
condotierri". The name of another woman,
Caterina dei Vigri, who was eventually
canonized, appears on a
tempera painting from 1456, and it was reported by her biographer and friend that Caterina dei Vigri did indeed paint, notably
miniatures. Paintings by Caterina have
recently been discovered. As to Onorata's service as a soldier, the dates given by Conrado Flameno are coherent with what is known of military events in 15th-century
Italy. This could either mean there is some truth in Flameno's account, or that he took care to frame Onorata's myth into what he knew had happened more than a century before his own time. ==In popular culture==