After her marriage, Fontana sometimes signed her work with her married name. She was elected a member of the Roman Academy, a rare honour for a woman. Biography. Biography. Take for instance Lavinia Fontana. NATIONAL MUSEUM of WOMEN in the ARTS Artist’s Biography 4 pages. Painted the following year, "Portrait of a Noblewoman" depicts a standing female figure holding a decoratively jeweled marten skin and absently petting a lap dog. Desiring a work to grace the grand Escorial Palace in Madrid, Philip II of Spain commissioned Fontana to paint an altarpiece, "The Holy Family with the Sleeping Christ Child.". Fontana used imagination to recreate images from the past. Lavinia Fontana’s early years are comparable to those of most women artists. Lavinia Fontana (August 24, 1552 – August 11, 1614) was an Italian painter. Prospero Fontana fut également un professeur réputé qui enseigna à Agostino et Ludovico Carracci. By the late 1570s she was known in Bologna for painting fine portraits, including Self-portrait at the Harpischord and the very formal Gozzadini Family (1584). Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Lavinia Fontana is known for Portrait painting, mannerism. From overcoming oppression, to breaking rules, to reimagining the world or waging a rebellion, these women of history have a story to tell. 1552, Bologna, d. 1614, Roma) in the Web Gallery of Art, a searchable image collection and database of European art and architecture (200-1900) She was the main breadwinner of a family of 13. Continuing the family business was typical at the time. Lavinia Fontana (August 24, 1552 – August 11, 1614) was an Italian painter. Lavinia Fontana was an Italian Artist. Lavinia Fontana worked in the same areas as her male rivals, who did not find patronage at courts and monasteries. At her father's studio Fontana met painter Giano Paolo Zappi and married him when she was twenty-five. She was trained by her father Prospero Fontana and was active in Bologna and Rome. She came under the influence of one of her father's pupils, Ludovico Carracci, founder of Bologna's academy. Both financially and critically successful, Fontana was a representative painter of the Italian mannerist school, earning a reputation for pose, detail, and the use of a delicate palette. Accademia Nazionale di San Luca, Rome 2. She went to school at Mannerist School. To assist her work, Zappi abandoned his career, kept Fontana's accounts, and tended the couple's 11 children, of whom only three outlived their mother. She also received an academic education. Biographie [modifier | modifier le code]. She was also the main breadwinner of a family of 13. Bolognese painter Lavinia Fontana was the most significant and prolific woman artist of Renaissance Europe. Gallery Lavinia Fontana (1552-1614) | All 23 Artworks | Buy Museum Art Reproductions . Lavinia Fontana (August 24 1552-August 11 1614) was an Italian painter.. Lavinia Fontana (August 24, 1552 – August 11, 1614) was an Italian painter. Encyclopedia of World Biography on Lavinia Fontana A producer of over 135 sophisticated oil paintings, Lavinia Fontana (1552- 1614) was one of the first female portraitists to seek commissions. Such qualities are reflected in Fontana's self-portrait that now hangs in the Uffizi Gallery at Florence. She was the first woman artist to paint female nudes, and was the main breadwinner of a family of 13. Even within the responsibilities of being a mother of eleven children, she achieved much in style and work. Venturing beyond traditional still lifes and set poses into high drama, she painted mythic and biblical figures on a grand scale and used as models female and male nudes. She was the first woman artist to paint female nudes, and possibly the first female to use live nude female models.She was the main breadwinner of a family of 13. She was trained by her father Prospero Fontana moreover to was active in Bologna moreover to Rome. Lavinia Fontana (August 24, 1552 – August 11, 1614) was a Bolognese Mannerist painter best known for her portraiture. Continuing the family business was typical at the time. Lavinia Fontana studied not only painting. Unlike most female artists of the period, Lavinia received encouragement at home, where her father taught her to paint. A producer of over 135 sophisticated oil paintings, Lavinia Fontana (1552- 1614) was one of the first female portraitists to seek commissions. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). She was born in Bologna, Italy in 1552, and died in the year of 1614. She is best known for her successful portraiture, but also worked in the genres of mythology and religious painting. Lavinia Fontana studied not only painting. She was the daughter of Prospero Fontana, a leading Bolognese exponent of Mannerism. For "Visit of the Queen of Sheba," which now hangs in Dublin's National Gallery, Fontana improvised a demanding narrative scene that depicts the unnamed queen's royal presentation to Solomon albeit in Renaissance costume and court. In addition to the medal already discussed in the article, Fontana is the subject of Portrait of a Woman, 1595 by Paolo Veronese (Cheney, et al 2000). See available paintings, works on paper, and prints and multiples for sale and learn about the artist. Lavinia Fontana est l'unique enfant de Prospero Fontana et d'Antonia de' Bonardis. Lavinia Fontana (1552-1614) Self-portrait- Lavinia at the clavichord. Lavinia was trained by her father and followed his Mannerist style. Popes Gregory XIII and Clement VIII each posed for her in ceremonial regalia and the Vatican offered her commissions normally contracted to male artists. Lavinia was an artist more complete then Sofonisba who, on the other hand, was maybe a more refined intellectual. She enjoyed the patronage of the family of Pope Gregory XIII and painted the likenesses of many eminent people. Lavinia Fontana was irreproachable as a daughter and a wife and, although constantly overworked, she was also able to give birth to eleven children. Characteristic of Fontana's images is the incorporation of textured and embroidered fabrics and rich gold jewelry set with pearls and rubies. Lavinia Fontana est l'unique enfant de Prospero Fontana, peintre de la contre-réforme très en vogue auprès des papes. The work contrasts a bevy of over-dressed aristocratic ladies with the simple demeanor of a saint performing a sacred task. They didn’t know each other, either. She is regarded as the first woman artist, working within the same sphere as her male counterparts, outside a court or convent. Biographie. She is considered the first woman to carry out large private and public commissions. She was influenced by Ludovio Carracci Biography. In 1581 she completed "Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalen" in the balanced dark-against-light style of Antonio Correggio. Features of Lavinia Fontana's art. Creator: Lavinia Fontana; Date Created: 1552/1614; Physical Dimensions: w724 x h971 mm (Without frame) Artist biography: Lavinia Fontana was born in Bologna, Italy in 1552. She is regarded as the number one female career artist in Western Europe as she relied on commissions for her income. Lavinia Fontana. Lavinia Fontana, Self-Portrait with the Spinet Accompanied by a Handmaiden (1577). “The most significant and prolific female artist of the 16th century, Lavinia Fontana opened up opportunities… Fontana was born in Bologna, Italy in 1552. In 1603, after her father's death, Fontana was a recipient of a rare honor, particularly for a female artist, when Pope Clement VIIII summoned her to an audience in the papal palace. Elle était la fille de Prospero Fontana (1512-1597), … At Clement's request, she executed her most famous public work, a 20-foot altarpiece titled "The Stoning of St. Stephen Martyr," which pictures the pathos of the first Christian to die for the faith. She was the first Bolognese female to earn renown throughout Italy. Lavinia Fontana (August 24, 1552 – August 11, 1614) was a Bolognese Mannerist painter active in Bologna and Rome. Fontana also produced many religious paintings; among her best was Noli me tangere (1581). On the 24th of August 1552, Italian painter Lavinia Fontana was born in Bologna. She is regarded as the first woman artist, working within the same sphere as her male counterparts, outside a court or convent. Fontana was the most successful woman of the Bolognese painters in her time. Continuing the family business was typical at the time. Lavinia Fontana was an Italian painter. An Italian painter regarded as the first woman artist, Lavinia Fontana was also the first woman to paint female nudes.A daughter of the prominent artist Prospero Fontana, she made great strides in the field of portraiture, becoming famous within and beyond Italy.She was also commissioned to paint religious and mythological themes, which sometimes included nudes. The altarpiece adorned one of Rome's seven pilgrimage centers, the church of San Paolo Fuori le Mura, until the building was consumed by fir… She is regarded as the first female career artist in Western Europe as she relied on commissions for her income. In 1604 she painted her largest work, the Martyrdom of St. Stephen, an altarpiece for San Paolo Fuori le Mura in Rome, a basilica that was destroyed in the fire of 1823. Her large and renowned body of work encompasses several genres, including altarpieces, history paintings, and portraits. The Lavinia Fontana Study Pack contains: Biographies (1) Lavinia Fontana 1,031 words, approx. Born in Bologna in 1552, Lavinia Fontana was the daughter of cosmopolitan fresco artist and teacher Prospero Fontana, who established his reputation in Rome and joined Giorgio Vasari in adorning Florence's Palazzo Vecchio. Corrections? She was trained by her father Prospero Fontanawho was a teacher at the School of Bologna. the mother and son from classic mythology who superintend passion and infatuation. Lavinia Fontana August 24, 1552 – August 11, 1614 was a Bolognese Mannerist painter best requested for her portraiture. In 1577 Fontana married the minor painter Gian Paolo Zappi. She was the first woman artist to have commissions for large-scale and public works as well as portraiture. The city’s prosperous economic and social situation account for the prominent role of women in its cultural, religious, social and artistic life. Lavinia Fontana, (born 1552, Bologna [Italy]—died August 11, 1614, Rome), Italian painter of the Mannerist school and one of the most important portraitists in Bologna during the late 16th century. Biography. Her large and renowned body of work encompasses several genres, including altarpieces, history paintings, and portraits. Her earliest known work, "Child of the Monkey", was painted in 1575 at the age of 23. Omissions? Features of Lavinia Fontana's art. She is regarded as the first woman artist, working within the same sphere as her male counterparts, outside a court or convent. In addition to her career as an artist, she was the mother of 11 children. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Biography Lavinia Fontana was born in Bologna, the daughter of the painter Prospero Fontana, who was a prominent painter of the School of Bologna at the time and served as her teacher. Lavinia Fontana. 1552, Bologna, d. 1614, Roma) in the Web Gallery of Art, a searchable image collection and database of European painting, sculpture and architecture (200-1900) Son style typiquement maniériste peut être illustré par ce tableau qui emprunte au chef-d’œuvre de Pontormo de 1528tout en respectant les préceptes de compo… Fontana excelled at the depiction of the female form, either alone or in groups, as exemplified in "Portrait of the Gozzadini Family" (1584), a psychologically complex grouping. She was the daughter of Prospero Fontana (1512-1579), a prestigious Bolognese painter with whom she trained and worked. Biography of FONTANA, Lavinia (b. In the undated "Allegory of Music" she painted a female keyboardist at the virginal accompanied by three males, two lute players and a vocalist. Lavinia was trained by her father and followed his Mannerist style. Other articles where Martyrdom of St. Stephen is discussed: Lavinia Fontana: …painted her largest work, the Martyrdom of St. Stephen, an altarpiece for San Paolo Fuori le Mura in Rome, a basilica that was destroyed in the fire of 1823. Son père est peintre de la contre-réforme très en vogue auprès des papes. Continuing the family business was typical at … Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lavinia-Fontana, Virtual Uffizi Gallery - Biography of Lavinia Fontana, Lavinia Fontana - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Bolognese painter Lavinia Fontana was the most significant and prolific woman artist of Renaissance Europe. She was the daughter of Prospero Fontana, a leading Bolognese exponent of Mannerism. Her prolific body of work encompasses numerous categories of art, including single and group portraits, church altar art, and narrative and historic scenes. Son père, Prospero Fontana (1512-1597), était un peintre maniériste qui travailla pour le pape Jules III et à la réalisation des fresques du Palazzo Vecchio de Florence avec Giorgio Vasari.