Vasari: Women in the Arts
In a book of 2000 pages, probably no more than 100 (if even that many) are devoted to women artists. However, as I think the eight quotes below show, this was most likely due to the fact that there simply weren't as many women artists in that era, rather than because Vasari omitted them, consciously or otherwise. If anything, I think he shows himself eager to pass on word of women artists whenever he hears of them.
However, lest we think him a perfectly enlightened feminist male fit for mingling at polite gatherings in the 21st century, I should point out two things. First, while he will praise individual women artists as being every bit as good as men artists, he still thinks of them as prodigies, straying outside their normal domain. And second, as I've said before, he frequently refers to marriage as a burden, in a way that savors of misogyny: he focuses on how detrimental marriage is to men, how shrewish wives can be, and so on.
So, the quotes below are a curious blend of praise and condescension for women in the arts. Overall, however cringe-worthy some of his words may be, I think that Vasari's attitudes are no worse, and in fact are a little better, than those of his 16th-century contemporaries.
Only one of Vasari's Lives gets its title from the name of a woman artist, though in fact the Life contains biographies of many women artists. However, lest this ire you too much, I should point out that packaging many artists under one heading is a common practice of Vasari's. A collection of artists from Ferrara, for instance, or those from Bologna, get placed under the title of a single representative of their region. In fact, some of the quotes below come from these regional surveys.
But first, a quote about the only woman who got her own heading in Vasari's book, followed by two other quotes:Vol. I, p. 857, Madonna Properzia de' Rossi: But in no other age, for certain, has it been possible to see this better than in our own, wherein women have won the highest fame not only in the study of letters - as has been done by [there follows a long list of women] - but also in every other faculty. Nor have they been too proud to set themselves with their little hands, so tender and white, as if to wrest from us the palm of supremacy, to manual labours, braving the roughness of marble and the unkindly chisels, in order to attain to their desire and thereby win fame; as did, in our own day, Properzia de' Rossi of Bologna, a young woman excellent not only in household matters, like the rest of them, but also in sciences without number, so that all the men, to say nothing of the women, were envious of her.
Vol. I, p. 859, Madonna Properzia de' Rossi: The best works from [Sister Plautilla's] hand are those that she has copied from others, wherein she shows that she would have done marvellous things if she had enjoyed, as men do, advantages for studying, devoting herself to drawing, and copying living and natural objects.
Vol. II, p. 463, Benvenuto Garofalo and others: Thus, to that Giovan Battista Mantovano, an excellent sculptor and engraver of prints ... have been born two sons, who engrave copper-plates divinely well, and, what is even more astonishing, a daughter, called Diana, who also engraves so well that it is a thing to marvel at; and I who saw her, a very gentle and gracious girl, and her works, which are most beautiful, was struck with amazement.
And now for a Renaissance woman artist I had actually heard of in a middle-school history textbook:Vol. II, p. 466, Benvenuto Garofalo and others: To the same Giulio Campo have been disciples not only his two above-named brothers, but also Lattanzio Gambara and others; but most excellent in painting, doing him more honour than any of the rest, has been Sofonisba Anguisciuola of Cremona, with her three sisters, which most gifted maidens are the daughters of Signor Amilcare Anguisciuola and Signora Bianca Punzona, both of whom belong to the most noble families in Cremona.
There follow descriptions of her paintings in terms of praise, including Vasari's standard compliment, "Each of those figures lacks nothing save speech". Also, a mention is made of "Asdrubale, their brother" -- gotta love this Humanist family with its multiple generations of Carthaginian first names. To continue:Ibid.: That lady, having been brought afterwards by the Duke of Alva, as was related above, into the service of the Queen of Spain, in which she still remains at the present day with a handsome salary and much honour, has executed a number of portraits and pictures that are things to marvel at.
Vasari goes on to give in full the letters Pope Pius IV sent to Sofonisba requesting her to paint his portrait, and later praising it. Vasari concludes with this: "And let this testimony suffice to prove how great is the talent of Sofonisba."Vol. II, p. 468, Benvenuto Garofalo and others: [Further description of the talents of Sofonisba's three younger sisters.] But, if women know so well how to produce living men, what marvel is it that those who wish are also so well able to create them in painting?
Moving on from the Anguisciuola family, two more quotes:Vol. II, p. 779, Francesco Primaticcio: ... [N]or must I omit to say that a daughter of his [Maestro Luca de' Longhi of Ravenna's], still but a little girl, called Barbara, draws very well, and has begun to do some work in colour with no little grace and excellence of manner.
Vol. II, p. 865, Of Divers Flemings: [Of Flemish miniaturists:] ... [A]nd likewise some women, Susanna, sister of the said Lucas [Horebout of Ghent], who was invited for that work into the service of Henry VIII, King of England, and lived there in honour all the rest of her life; Clara Skeysers of Ghent, who at the age of eighty died, so they say, a virgin; Anna, daughter of Meister Seghers, a physician; Levina, daughter of the above-named Meister Simon of Bruges, who was married by the said Henry of England to a nobleman, and held in estimation by Queen Mary, even as she is now by Queen Elizabeth; and likewise Catharina, daughter of Meister Jan van Hemessen, who went to Spain into the service of the Queen of Hungary, with a good salary. In short, many other women have been excellent miniaturists.
However, lest we think him a perfectly enlightened feminist male fit for mingling at polite gatherings in the 21st century, I should point out two things. First, while he will praise individual women artists as being every bit as good as men artists, he still thinks of them as prodigies, straying outside their normal domain. And second, as I've said before, he frequently refers to marriage as a burden, in a way that savors of misogyny: he focuses on how detrimental marriage is to men, how shrewish wives can be, and so on.
So, the quotes below are a curious blend of praise and condescension for women in the arts. Overall, however cringe-worthy some of his words may be, I think that Vasari's attitudes are no worse, and in fact are a little better, than those of his 16th-century contemporaries.
Only one of Vasari's Lives gets its title from the name of a woman artist, though in fact the Life contains biographies of many women artists. However, lest this ire you too much, I should point out that packaging many artists under one heading is a common practice of Vasari's. A collection of artists from Ferrara, for instance, or those from Bologna, get placed under the title of a single representative of their region. In fact, some of the quotes below come from these regional surveys.
But first, a quote about the only woman who got her own heading in Vasari's book, followed by two other quotes:Vol. I, p. 857, Madonna Properzia de' Rossi: But in no other age, for certain, has it been possible to see this better than in our own, wherein women have won the highest fame not only in the study of letters - as has been done by [there follows a long list of women] - but also in every other faculty. Nor have they been too proud to set themselves with their little hands, so tender and white, as if to wrest from us the palm of supremacy, to manual labours, braving the roughness of marble and the unkindly chisels, in order to attain to their desire and thereby win fame; as did, in our own day, Properzia de' Rossi of Bologna, a young woman excellent not only in household matters, like the rest of them, but also in sciences without number, so that all the men, to say nothing of the women, were envious of her.
Vol. I, p. 859, Madonna Properzia de' Rossi: The best works from [Sister Plautilla's] hand are those that she has copied from others, wherein she shows that she would have done marvellous things if she had enjoyed, as men do, advantages for studying, devoting herself to drawing, and copying living and natural objects.
Vol. II, p. 463, Benvenuto Garofalo and others: Thus, to that Giovan Battista Mantovano, an excellent sculptor and engraver of prints ... have been born two sons, who engrave copper-plates divinely well, and, what is even more astonishing, a daughter, called Diana, who also engraves so well that it is a thing to marvel at; and I who saw her, a very gentle and gracious girl, and her works, which are most beautiful, was struck with amazement.
And now for a Renaissance woman artist I had actually heard of in a middle-school history textbook:Vol. II, p. 466, Benvenuto Garofalo and others: To the same Giulio Campo have been disciples not only his two above-named brothers, but also Lattanzio Gambara and others; but most excellent in painting, doing him more honour than any of the rest, has been Sofonisba Anguisciuola of Cremona, with her three sisters, which most gifted maidens are the daughters of Signor Amilcare Anguisciuola and Signora Bianca Punzona, both of whom belong to the most noble families in Cremona.
There follow descriptions of her paintings in terms of praise, including Vasari's standard compliment, "Each of those figures lacks nothing save speech". Also, a mention is made of "Asdrubale, their brother" -- gotta love this Humanist family with its multiple generations of Carthaginian first names. To continue:Ibid.: That lady, having been brought afterwards by the Duke of Alva, as was related above, into the service of the Queen of Spain, in which she still remains at the present day with a handsome salary and much honour, has executed a number of portraits and pictures that are things to marvel at.
Vasari goes on to give in full the letters Pope Pius IV sent to Sofonisba requesting her to paint his portrait, and later praising it. Vasari concludes with this: "And let this testimony suffice to prove how great is the talent of Sofonisba."Vol. II, p. 468, Benvenuto Garofalo and others: [Further description of the talents of Sofonisba's three younger sisters.] But, if women know so well how to produce living men, what marvel is it that those who wish are also so well able to create them in painting?
Moving on from the Anguisciuola family, two more quotes:Vol. II, p. 779, Francesco Primaticcio: ... [N]or must I omit to say that a daughter of his [Maestro Luca de' Longhi of Ravenna's], still but a little girl, called Barbara, draws very well, and has begun to do some work in colour with no little grace and excellence of manner.
Vol. II, p. 865, Of Divers Flemings: [Of Flemish miniaturists:] ... [A]nd likewise some women, Susanna, sister of the said Lucas [Horebout of Ghent], who was invited for that work into the service of Henry VIII, King of England, and lived there in honour all the rest of her life; Clara Skeysers of Ghent, who at the age of eighty died, so they say, a virgin; Anna, daughter of Meister Seghers, a physician; Levina, daughter of the above-named Meister Simon of Bruges, who was married by the said Henry of England to a nobleman, and held in estimation by Queen Mary, even as she is now by Queen Elizabeth; and likewise Catharina, daughter of Meister Jan van Hemessen, who went to Spain into the service of the Queen of Hungary, with a good salary. In short, many other women have been excellent miniaturists.