Women’s convents were important institutions in Renaissance Florence. In addition to hosting religious communities and giving structure to the daily...
September 20–October 25, 2023
Hidden Gold: Women in Renaissance Italy
Sofonisba Anguissola, Self-Portrait (detail), about 1556. Possibly oil on parchment. Charles Potter Kling Fund and Beth Munroe Fund—Bequest of Emma F. Munroe.
Sofonisba Anguissola, Self-Portrait (detail), about 1556. Possibly oil on parchment. Charles Potter Kling Fund and Beth Munroe Fund—Bequest of Emma F. Munroe.
Dive into the hidden and unearthed stories featured in the exhibition “Strong Women in Renaissance Italy.” Together with curators, professors from local colleges and universities, and other special guests, explore new perspectives on female creativity, power, and agency from the 14th to the early 17th century.
Take the full six-session course or choose the lectures that interest you most.
Past Events
Lecture
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Female composers have existed for millennia: there is a 4th-century biblical edict against women singing, which only proves that they persisted. Women...
Lecture
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Explore the life and writing of Vittoria Colonna, Marchesa di Pescara, the first woman in Italy to have a book of her own poems published. What did it...
Lecture
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Take a closer look at some exemplary paintings, sculptures, furniture, jewelry, clothing, and household items associated with women’s lives in...
Lecture
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
Women in Renaissance Italy were artists, mothers, healers, nuns, lace makers, and so much more. This preview of Strong Women in Renaissance Italy...
Lecture
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
1:00 pm–2:30 pm
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...