We might assume that women who achieved any prominence in Renaissance Italy were rare and isolated cases, but this could not be further from the truth! Get a broad overview of generations of fascinating and celebrated women working in literature, art, commerce, religion, and politics. An engraving by Jacob Bos (pictured above), made from an original painting by Sofonisba Anguissola, nicely captures two of this lecture’s central points: the idea of a lineage of women who were cultural contributors, and contemporary observers’ interest in creative women.

Sarah Gwyneth Ross, professor of History, Boston College