Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.Waters, Clara Erskine Clement
History
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.
Waters, Clara Erskine Clement
Women artists -- Biography
Her first work in sculpture was a minute representation of the
Crucifixion on a peach stone! The executioners, women, soldiers, and
disciples were all represented in this infinitesimal space. She also
inserted in a coat of arms a double-headed eagle in silver filigree;
eleven peach stones on each side, one set representing eleven apostles
with an article of the creed underneath, the other set eleven virgins
with the name of a saint and her special attribute on each. Some of these
intaglios are still in a private collection in Bologna.
At length Properzia saw the folly of thus belittling her talent, and when
the facade of San Petronio was to be enriched with sculpture she asked
for a share in the work and presented a bust she had made as a pledge of
her ability; she was appointed to execute a portion of the decorations.
She made a bas-relief, the subject being "Joseph and Potiphar's Wife,"
which Vasari called "a lovely picture, sculptured with womanly grace, and
more than admirable."
By this time the jealousy of other artists was aroused, and a story was
diligently repeated to the effect that Properzia loved a young nobleman
who did not care for her, and that the above work, so much admired,
represented her own passion. Albertini and other artists waged an
absolute crusade against her, and so influenced the superintendents of
the church that Properzia was obliged to leave the work and her relief
was never put in place. Through mortification and grief her health
failed, and she died when but forty years old.
In spite of her persecution she was known in all Italy, not only for her
sculpture, but for her copper-plate engraving and etching. When Pope
Clement VII. went to Bologna for the coronation of Charles V. he asked
for Properzia, only to hear that she had been buried that very week.
Her story has been told by Vasari and other writers. She was handsome,
accomplished in music, distinguished for her knowledge of science, and
withal a good and orderly housewife. "Well calculated to awaken the envy,
not of women only, but also of men." Canova ardently admired the work of
Properzia that remained in his day, and esteemed her early death as one
of the chief misfortunes to the advance of the fine arts in Italy.
<b>ROTKY, BARONESS HANNA.</b> Born at Czernowitz in 1857. She studied
portrait painting under Blaas, Swerdts, and Trentino, and has worked
principally in Vienna. Her portrait of Freiherr von Sterneck is in the
Military Academy at Wiener-Neustadt.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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