In 1600, the city of Bologna experienced a flourishing period in terms of career opportunities for female artists. Elisabetta Sirani, who was born into the Renaissance period on 8 January 1638, is one of these women. Her father Giovanni Andrea Sirani was a successful painter who had studied and collaborated with Guido Reni and trained his three daughters Elisabetta, Barbara and Anna Maria in his atelier.
See also: On Rocky Paths: Female Artists from the Renaissance and Enlightenment
The training of the three sisters wasn't only limited to painting, but also to the humanities and music, teachings that Elisabetta greatly benefitted from later on. Meanwhile, her great talent soon became evident, so much so that at seventeen she got his first job. Shortly thereafter, she also took over the direction of her father's workshop after Andrea Sirani fell ill with gout.
Elisabetta's first clients belonged to the upper middle class. Later, the first commissions from prominent nobles arrived, including Cosimo III de' Medici. However, the proceeds from the commissions went directly to the father and for this reason, the young artist accepted some commissions in secret.
See also: Lavinia Fontana: The Papal Painter
Sirani's works were stylistically based on Guido Reni and Caravaggio. However, some doubted that her work was actually by her hand and so Elisabetta began to paint in an open studio that soon became an attraction for travellers and visitors. To nip these rumours in the bud, she also decided to always sign her works.
In Allegory of Painting, a self-portrait from 1658, Elisabetta portrayed herself as a rich woman with kind features, looking confidently at the viewer. Her classical training proved fundamental to her work, and was also inspired by ancient writers, such as Plutarch.
See also: Artemisia Gentileschi: 5 Extraordinary Facts
Elisabetta Sirani's style was very similar to that of her contemporary Artemisia Gentileschi, as both dedicated themselves to depicting strong female figures of history such as Judith, Porcia (Brutus's wife) and Timoclea, who throws her tormentor into a fountain.
Elisabetta Sirani had the great honour of being one of the first women to be accepted at the Accademia di San Luca. Until then, in fact, artistic training was forbidden to women. However, she wasn't satisfied with this and soon decided to found her own academy, dedicated solely to training girls.
See also: Weaponised Femininity: A History of Women Beheading Men in Art History
The educated and talented Elisabetta Sirani was a respected and popular personality throughout Bologna. When she died on 28 August 1665 at the young age of twenty-seven, rumours immediately arose related to possible poisoning. Her father accused the maid Lucia Tolomelli, who had given up her job with the Sirani family a few days before Elisabetta's death.
However, at trial it was concluded that Elisabetta died of an ulcer due to stress, which seems plausible, considering that she created about two-hundred paintings as well as hundreds of drawings and engravings in just over ten years. She is also said to have been able to complete a half-length portrait in one session.
Elisabetta Sirani's life was commemorated with a great funeral service that attracted the whole city of Bologna and was paid for by some of her wealthy clients. The artist found her final resting place in the same chapel of the Church of San Domenico where Guido Reni had been buried twenty-three years earlier.
Today, Elisabetta's works can be found in prestigious public and private collections and fetch impressive six-figure prices at auction. Her current record was set by Portia Wounding her Thigh, which sold for $505,000 (£253,000) at Sotheby's in 2008.
