Female Old Masters Revealed

I cannot believe that in a few short weeks, 2020 will be history. Not that any of us would complain about that... But seriously--time does slip away from us. That's human nature, I guess. In the next few weeks, I'll be sharing a few posts that will complete my blogging on the Antonius Trilogy. More on that will be upcoming.

Right now, I have a final guest blogger for December, and I've been saving this one, as she's special. Her work is vivid and compelling, taking place in the Renaissance. So get ready for some phenomenal art history and and prepare yourself for a great read! Let's hear from American author, Amy Maroney as she shares about her fascinating Miramonde Trilogy.

       Some Old Masters Were Actually Women
 
Earlier this year, when I learned that a 17th-century painting of David and Goliath attributed to a male artist was determined to be the work of Italian artist Artemisia Gentileschi, I felt triumphant. The discovery of Artemisia’s signature on David’s sword—hidden for centuries under dirt, varnish, and layers of overpainting—sent a powerful signal to the art world. This was just the latest in series of such discoveries over recent decades, all pointing to a truth long-ignored by the art establishment. The fact is, some of the greatest old masters were women.
 
During the early modern era in Europe, women wielded brushes with as much talent as their male counterparts, but their work was generally undervalued, attributed to their male relatives, or kept anonymous. Perhaps that’s why Artemisia and others like her—the 16th-century still-life artist Clara Peeters, for instance—worked their signatures and even their own images into cleverly hidden places on their paintings. Despite the bias against them, they were still determined to somehow be remembered for what they had accomplished.                                              (at right, Artimisia Gentileschi)
 
The existence of female old masters has been slowly gaining attention over the past several decades, and Artemisia Gentileschi is probably the best known and most highly valued member of that small but growing club. As scholarship about female old masters increases and public interest in these women grows, so does the value of their paintings. Artemisia is the shining star in this trend, with her works now commanding millions. A blockbuster exhibition featuring Gentileschi hangs at the National Gallery in London until January 2021.

False attribution to male artists was just one of the obstacles encountered by women artists throughout history. For example, Leonardo da Vinci was celebrated for his anatomically precise work. He was famous for his detailed observations of naked bodies. His female contemporaries, on the other hand, were barred from observing nude models. Is it any surprise, then, that women artists of the past were criticized for their inferior figurative work? This lack of opportunity did not stop them from making art, though. Many of them focused on—and excelled at—the still life. 

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(at left, Clara Peeters)

One of the other challenges facing women artists of the past is that they've been stuffed into basements and attics, relegated to the dusty archives of Europe's great museums. Even if museums own work by women, they rarely exhibit it. That's why the Prado's show featuring Clara Peeters in 2016 was so groundbreaking. The Prado had never showcased a female artist before, despite its 200-year-old history. It was only after a curator's wife asked him if there were any paintings in the place by female artists that Flemish artist Peeters’ work was retrieved from the basement. The Peeters exhibit was so successful that in 2019 the Prado hosted another show featuring two female old masters: Sofonisba Anguissola and Lavinia Fontana.
                                         (Below, Sofonisba Anguissola)

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Nearly a decade ago, in a dimly-lit hallway at Oxford’s Magdalen College, I stumbled across a sixteenth-century portrait of a woman attributed to female artist Caterina Van Hemessen. I was stunned. After visiting many museums full of Renaissance-era portraits and learning about art history as a college student, I had somehow never heard of female old masters. But now, before my own eyes, was evidence that there were women painters in those days. I soon learned that because women’s work wasn’t valued, their paintings were often attributed to men or kept anonymous. I became obsessed with the lost stories of these women—and I wrote a historical mystery series on the topic.

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(at left, Caterina Van Hemessen)

My Miramonde series tells the story of a Renaissance-era woman artist and a modern-day scholar who are linked by a 500-year-old mystery. In Book 1, The Girl from Oto, the heroine of the series is born into a ruthless and violent noble family; her mother names her Miramonde, ‘one who sees the world.’ Raised in a convent, Mira becomes an extraordinary artist—never dreaming she will one day fulfill the promise of her name.
 
Mira’s modern-day counterpart, Zari Durrell, is a young American scholar doing research in Europe who discovers traces of a mysterious woman artist in several sixteenth-century paintings. Soon she’s following a path through history to Mira herself. But the art world ignores her findings, dazzled by a rival academic’s claim that the portraits were in fact made by a famous male artist.
 
When I began the research for this series nearly a decade ago, there was still little public recognition of female old masters. It has been hugely gratifying to watch the stars of women like Artemisia rise to stratospheric heights. As more people read about female old masters and view their work in public museums, interest in their paintings will grow and the value of their work will continue to soar. Perhaps their work will never attain the lofty price tags of Leonardo da Vinci and other men. What’s important is that art historians and conservators will continue to peer beneath layers of history and paint, uncovering clues left behind by these talented women.
 
The final book in my Miramonde series begins with a quote from Artemisia herself that speaks for other women artists whose voices languish in the shadows of history. Speaking to a potential patron, she says: “I will show your illustrious Lordship what a woman can do.” It has taken four hundred years, but Artemisia’s time in the spotlight has arrived. It’s thrilling to know Zari Durrell’s real-life counterparts will continue to venture into history’s shadows and reveal more women like Artemisia to the world. I can’t wait for the next discovery of a long-hidden signature buried under centuries of dirt and false assumptions. And I wish I could travel back in time to tell these women that one day, their work will be recognized and celebrated.

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                            Meet the Author


​Amy Maroney lives in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. with her family. She spent many years as a writer and editor of nonfiction before turning her hand to historical fiction. When she’s not diving down research rabbit holes, she enjoys hiking, drawing, dancing, traveling, and reading. She’s the author of the Miramonde series: The Girl from Oto, Mira’s Way, and A Place in the World. Currently, she’s working on a new series set in and around medieval Rhodes, Greece. 

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                                                        Read Amy's Books

Find The Girl from Oto, the story of a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern-day scholar on her trail, on Amazon and other online stores here. To receive a free prequel novella to the Miramonde series, join Amy Maroney’s readers’ group at www.amymaroney.com. Follow her on BookBub at https://www.bookbub.com/profile/amy-maroney, or find her on Twitter @wilaroney, Instagram @amymaroneywrites, and Facebook.