By Dr. Deanna MacDonald

Despite obstacles, women became exceptional artists in the Renaissance

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By Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank

Female painters were rare in sixteenth-century Italy. In self-portraits, Sofonisba made sure to appear virtuous.

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By Dr. Beth Harris, Dr. Steven Zucker

Roll up your sleeves, things are about to get bloody! This beheading is vivid, immediate, and physical.

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By Dr. Saskia Beranek

Virtue, or vice? This seated woman is an icon of domesticity, but the man’s money may tempt her away from work.

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By Dr. Beth Harris, Dr. Steven Zucker

Professional female artists were few in the Dutch Republic. Here, Leyster cultivates confidence in her abilities.

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By Dr. Beth Harris, Dr. Steven Zucker

No wonder Ruysch treats each element of this still life like a scientific specimen—her father preserved insects.

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By Dr. Beth Harris, Dr. Steven Zucker

A self-portrait demonstrates the artist's skills in achieving a likeness but it can also convey messages about the artist’s identity and inner life.

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By Dr. April Renée Lynch

She fled France in disguise, but Vigée Le Brun does little to conceal her face—or her sympathy to Marie Antoinette.

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By Dana Martin

This Swiss-born artist painted Roman stories with moralizing messages. Here, Cornelia provides a model of virtue.

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By Dr. Susan Waller

This portrait of an unnamed woman speaks volumes about slavery, politics, and gender in revolutionary France.

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