Marietta Robusti
VENICE 1554-1590

Moderata Fonte
VENICE 1555-1592

The "Poker", by Vittoria Surian, compared the "Self-portrait" of Marietta Rubusti, called 'la Tintoretta', with the portrait of Moderata Fonte in the foreword to Il merito delle donne (The Merit of Women). Caterina Caneva speaks of Marietta and her self portrait, whilst Adriana Chemello, taking the idea from the description of Venice in Moderata Fonte's opening dialogue, rereads the first biographies of the two Venetian artists emphasising their common traits. Peers, both lacking the blazon of nobility, then dedicated themselves to art and literature with passion. The non-arbitrary comparison, authorised by Moderata Fonte herself who, when rendering homage to her fellow citizen, recognises that she is of "incredible value".

Home     Top     Next    

Isabella Piccini
VENICE 1648-1734

by Vittoria Gosen

The daughter of Jacopo, a sixteenth century prolific etcher, she learnt the art of etching and made it her job for all her life: in adolescence, immediately after the death of her father, and in the long years spent in the convent of S. Croce in Venice where she entered in 1666 as a Franciscan nun. She had work relationships with the most famous publishers of the time, on the territory of the Serenissima as well as outside its boundaries. She etched popular prints and book illustrations of the sacred and profane kind, earning fame and consideration with her contemporaries. With this book we would like to present the figure of Sister Isabella, a woman with an extraordinary vitality and passion for her own work, who knew, surmounting every obstacle, how to become her own entrepreneur. Without expecting to be exhaustive, because the works reproduced here, accompanied by some documents and a biographical comment, are not more than a small part of her vast production, we hope that this work serves as a stimulus for further research.

Home     Up     Previous     Next    

Rosalba Carriera
VENICE 1673-1757

by Lidia Panzeri

A visit to the Gallerie dell’Accademia and the nearby Ca’ Rezzonico Museum allows us to reconstruct Rosalba Carriera’s artistic development. At Ca’ Rezzonico there are two ivory miniatures, typical of her first production; a Madonna, a rare example of a religious subject and the only Venetian witness of the seasons series. Furthermore the very beautiful portraits exhibited in the Pastels Room and compared to the same type of works by contemporary artists. About ten splendid pastel portraits are also at the Gallerie dell’Accademia, where different styles are represented: children, diplomats, noblemen, Ecclesiastes, young and elderly women. And finally the most dramatic of all: Rosalba’s last self-portrait, old and on the brink of blindness. Thus ends the series of self-portraits, which, over time, document in an almost cruel manner the artist’s process of physical decadence.

Home     Top     Previous     Next  

Giulia Lama
VENICE 1681-1747

by Macri Puricelli

Giulia Lama was born in Venice in 1681, in the Parish of S.Maria Formosa, and she died there on 7th October 1747. She was the daughter of Agostino Lama, a disciple of Pietro Vecchia. A student of mathematics, well read in philosophy, Giulia Lama was a poet, painter and embroiderer. A friend of Giambattista Piazzetta, Giulia Lama is still awaiting a complete and thorough study from the biographical as well as the artistic point of view. Together will the "Venetian" works, and the two painting of the Monte Rua hermitage, two other works are to be noted: the painting Old Man's Head (Musei Civici of Palazzo Chiericati, Vicenza) and the Madeleine in Ecstasy (Pinacoteca dell'Accademia dei Concordi, Rovigo). Anton Maria Zanetti the Younger speaks of other works by Giulia Lama in his Description Of All The Public Paintings Of The City Of Venice, published in 1733: Saint Anthony of Padua in the Act of Receiving the Child, (S.Maria dei Miracoli Church), Episode in Saint Theodor's Life in the School of the same name and a Christ Lead to Mount Calvary (Miraculous Christ from the Island of Poveglia). All lost.

Home     Top     Previous     Next Poker