Lavinia Fontana's Mythological Paintings: art, beauty, and wisdom

Abstract

This volume investigates emblematic and art-historical issues in Lavinia Fontana's mythological paintings. Fontana is the first female painter of the sixteenth century in Italy to depict female nudes, as well as mythological and emblematic paintings associated with concepts of beauty and wisdom. Her paintings reveal an appropriation of the antique, a fusion between patronage and culture, and a humanistic pursuit of Mannerist conceits. Fontana's secular imagery provides a challenging paragone with the male tradition of history painting during the sixteenth century and paves the way for new subj.

Contents

Intro -- Dedication -- Table of Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Acknowledgments -- Preface -- Chapter 1 -- Chapter 2 -- Chapter 3 -- Chapter 4 -- Chapter 5 -- Chapter 6 -- Chapter 7 -- Chapter 8 -- Coda -- Selected Bibliography -- Index -- Colour Centrefold -- Black and White Centrefold