“Do you really believe... that everything historians tell us about men - or about women - is actually true? You ought to consider the fact that these histories have been written by men, who never tell the truth except by accident.”
Moderata Fonte - The Worth of Women pub. 1600
This clever and witty book was published in 1600 and asked how men, described as ‘essentially inferior’ to women, have come to dominate them? And, crucially, can that be changed? The Worth of Women imagined a world in which women could opt out of their traditional roles and define themselves independently of men. Sounds kind of familiar in the year that the film, Barbie, flipped female and male experiences and asked why can’t that world be possible.
My new talk centres around 4 remarkable women who lived through the turbulent times of the 15th, 16th and early 17th centuries. In England, the corpulent and capricious, King Henry VIII was looking for a new wife and employed the most famous and talented portrait artist, Hans Holbein, to provide him with a speaking likeness of a potential bride . In Italy, city states such as Florence, Mantua and Ferrara, were perpetually at war, and relied upon strong women to act as regents and diplomats to maintain order. In Italy and Spain, female artists were amongst the most celebrated and respected of their peers.
We are used to learning about the Renaissance through the accomplishments of great men. Be they artists, collectors, poets or statesmen. But there is much to learn about this pivotal period in human achievement from the perspective of women.
One of the most respected and successful artists of the 16th century was a woman called Sofonisba Anguissola, who was encouraged, possibly taught by Michelangelo and celebrated as the most important influence on his work by Anthony Van Dyck.
Sofonisba painted more self portraits than any other artist up until the time of Rembrandt. Including this beautiful miniature, showcasing her talent in this highly prized specialty. She came from a noble family from Cremona, one of five children of enlightened parents who educated all their children, son and daughters, together.
Sofonisba turned the restrictions placed on female artists at the time - no access to male models, unable to travel freely to observe landscapes - to her advantage by bringing novelty to the art of portraits.
As well as herself, she frequently used her family as models, seen here in the joyous painting of her sisters playing chess in a garden. In the shade of an oak tree, a symbol of wealth and longevity, the match has just ended. The choice of chess is important as it requires strategic skill and cerebral agility, qualities she is celebrating in her sisters. The inclusion of the darker skinned, elderly servant acts as another signifier of the sisters' rectitude and respectability.
The painting drew the attention of the celebrated artist and writer, Giorgio Vasari, who included Sofonisba in the second edition of his Lives of the Artists. In in he wrote that the figures in this paining “appear so alive, the only thing missing is speech”.
Sofonisba went on to become the only female artist at the court of King Phillip II of Spain and lady in waiting to his Queen, Elisabeth of Valois. After Elisabeth's death, Sofonisba tutored the two young princesses in drawing. After 20 years in Phillip's service, she asked to return to Italy. Phillip gave her the choice of any Italian nobleman she would like to marry. She chose but after 5 years of marriage, he was killed in a pirate attack off the coast of Capri. On board the ship she travelled back to parent's home in, Sofonisba fell in love with the ship's captain, Orazio Lomellino. Although considered an inferior match for Sofonisba's superior status, they were happily married for 45 years. Sofonisba died at the remarkable age of 94.
Come and learn more about Sofonisba Anguissola and her incredible paintings, along with other brilliant Renaissance women, with a glass of wine on Thursday, 19th October, Abbotts Ann Village Hall, 7.30pm.