By her hand: Artemisia Gentileschi and women artists in Italy, 1500-1800

Abstract

A brand new look at the extraordinary accomplishments of early modern Italian women artists. This generously illustrated volume surveys a sweeping range of early modern Italian women artists, exploring their practice and paths to success within the male-dominated art world of the period. New attention to archival documents and detailed technical analyses of the beautiful paintings featured here-ranging from historical subjects to portraits and still lifes-offer new insight into the ways these women worked and their accomplishments. Essays and catalogue entries by an international team of distinguished art historians examine the works of Artemisia Gentileschi, Sofonisba Anguissola, Lavinia Fontana, Fede Galizia, Elisabetta Sirani, Giovanna Garzoni, Rosalba Carriera, and other less known Italian women artists. Through these works of art in diverse media-from paintings to prints-the fascinating stories of early modern Italian women artists are revealed.

Contents

Why have there been no exhibitions of early modern Italian women artists in Hartford or Detroit? / Eve Straussman-Pflanzer -- The advantages of painting small: Italian women artists and the matter of scale / Oliver Tostmann -- Art as women's work: the professionalization of women artists in Italy, 1350-1800 / Sheila Barker -- Catalogue / Babette Bohn, Claude-Douglas Dickerson III, Jamie Gabbarelli, Hilliard Goldfarb, Lara Lea Roney, Joaneath Spicer, Eve Straussman-Pflanzer, and Oliver Tostmann.