Elisabetta Sirani was an Italian Baroque painter born on January 8, 1638. We don’t often hear of female artists from that time, which makes her somewhat unique. She is one of the most famous woman artists of her time, and she was fortunate to be of Bologna, where women were more accepted as artists than in other places. Elisabetta’s talent flourished early, and she even ran her family’s workshop and was wildly successful. She produced her own work and trained other artists, mostly other women but including her younger sisters and some men. Though she lived only a short 27 years, she produced more than 200 paintings, works which often depicted history, Biblical scenes, allegory, and women. She painted for patrons between kings and merchants, and some of her most successful works were of the Virgin Mary and Child Jesus. Her paintings were characterized by dramatic light and shadow and vibrant color.
Below are shown Allegory of Music and Allegory of Justice, Charity, and Prudence.
