ABSTRACT
In the fine arts, women began to establish careers as miniaturists or portrait painters, typically trained first in their fathers’ workshops and then supported by aristocratic or royal patronage as they developed their own reputations. Many women were encouraged to acquire expertise at playing the viol, lute, virginals, and other musical instruments, but performances were typically confined to small, intimate settings. A more visible and sanctioned form of entertainment was the role of the court or household fool, a person valued more as an object of amusement than talent. By the beginning of the seventeenth century, however, women were increasingly claiming ownership of their artistic works and moving toward public performances in local venues and in the court masque. The achievements of the women included here signal this emergence of artistic women from the private to the public and professional.
