ABSTRACT
Many women artists are recorded in early modern Venice (at least twenty-nine in the Seicento alone), but few before the eighteenth century are known today. This essay will explore their accomplishments, reputations, and number of extant works compared with women artists in other Italian cities, as well as women’s public and legal status, artistic training, and artistic specializations. A key factor in this exploration is the approach of early Venetian biographers, who generally provided little information about specific artworks, in contrast to the detailed information provided in some other cities. This inattention to detail has contributed to the paucity of identifiable works, although early documents and inscriptions on drawings sometimes provide significant insights.
