New Ground presented for Progress.--Greater Diversity of Style.--Naturalism.--The Caracci instrumental in giving to Painting the Impetus of Reform.--Their Academy.--One opened by a Milanese Lady.--The learned Poetess and her hundredth Birthday.--Female Painters and Engravers.--Lavinia Fontana.--The hasty Judgment.--Lavinia a Pupil of Caracci.--Character of her Pictures.--Honors paid to her.--Courted by Royalty.--Her Beauty and Suitors.--A romantic Lover.--Lavinia’s Paintings.--Close of the Period of the Christian Ideal in Art.--Lavinia’s _Chef-d’Œuvre_.--Her Children.--Professional Honors.--Her Death.--Female Disciples of the Caracci School.--Pupils of Domenichino, Lanfranco, and Guido Reni.--The churlish Guercino a Despiser of Women.--The Cardinal’s Niece and Heiress.--Her great Paintings.--Founds a Cloister.--Artemisia Gentileschi, a Pupil of Guido.--Her Portraits.--Visit to England.--Favor with Charles I.--Luxurious Abode in Naples.--Her Correspondence.--Judgment of her Pictures.--Elisabetta Sirani.--Her artistic Character.--Her household Life.--Industry and Modesty.--Her Virtues and Graces.--Envious Artists.--Defeat of Calumny.--Her mysterious Fate.--Conjectures respecting it.--Funeral Obsequies.--Her principal Works.--Her Influence on female Artists.--Her Pupils.--Other Women Artists of Bologna. 59 CHAPTER VI. THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. School of the Academicians after Caravaggio.--Unidealized Nature.--Rude and violent Passions delineated.--Dark and stormy Side of Humanity.--Dark Coloring and Shadows.--The gloomy and passionate expressed in Pictures appeared in the Lives of Artists.--The Dagger and Poison-cup common.--Aniella di Rosa.--The Pupil of Stanzioni.--Character of her Painting.--Romantic Love and Marriage.--The happy Home destroyed.--The hearth-stone Serpent.--Jealousy.--The pretended Proof.--Phrensy and Murder.--Other fair Neapolitans.--The Paintress of Messina.--The Schools of Bologna and Naples embrace the most prominent Italian Paintings.--Commencement of Crayon-drawing.--Tuscan Ladies of Rank cultivating Art.--The Rosalba of the Florentine School.--Art in the City of the Cæsars.--The Roman Flower-painter.--Engravers.--Medallion-cutters.--A female Architect.--A Roman Sculptress.--Women Artists of the Venetian School.--At Pavia.--The Painter’s four Daughters.--Chiara Varotari.--Shares her Brother’s Labors.--A skillful Nurse.--Her Pupils.--Other female Artists of this time.--The Schools of Northern Italy.--Their Paintresses.--Giovanna Fratellini. 74 CHAPTER VII. THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.