Rosalba Carriera was one of the best known painters from Venice who reached an international fame in the 18th century but got almost forgotten for a long time. However, Save Venice has recently dedicated its efforts to restore some of her art works. Not just, in 2023 on the 350th anniversary of Carriera’s birth, the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden and Ca’ Rezzonico museum in Venice have dedicated important exhibitions to this Venetian artist.
Detail of Rosalba Carriera, Self-Portrait, Pastel on paper, ca. 1745, Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice
Why was Rosalba Carriera so famous and why does she deserve to be known in our times?
Rosalba Carriera was born in Venice in 1673. Her father was a lawyer in the administration of the Venetian Republic and her mother was known as a lace maker. Rosalba likely started her career as an artist preparing patters for lace, jewel cases, fans. What made her famous though was her choice to focus on some art genres which were not so popular and turn them into art jewels, researched by all travelers coming to Venice during their Grand Tour: pastels and miniatures on ivory.
Portrait of a Lady, Miniature, Watercolour on ivory, Ca’ Rezzonico, Venice
Pastels and miniatures in ivory
Painting with pastels is like painting with colorful powder, on wet paper, using your fingers or delicate brushes, just like make-up. Miniatures on ivory, a surface which is water repellent, require mastering the technique of gouache, not to mention the ability to make very tiny, delicate brush strokes. Both pastels and miniatures were considered genres for female artists as they didn’t require a lot of time, allowing women to also dedicate energy to more domestic activities.
A niche in the market
Rosalba Carriera therefore turned the “weak” points of pastels and miniatures into “strong” points. Are pastels and miniatures small? Great, you can make them in a short time and ship or transport them easily. You won’t even tire the sitter, obliging her/him to stay still for hours. Your clients will bring home a souvenir jewel, a wonderful memory of their visit in Venice.
Rosalba Carriera and the subjects of her art
Mythological themes, allegories of virtues, sacred art, but especially portraits and delicate erotism. Rosalba Carriera as a woman painter was appreciated for her psychological insight: just compare the two portraits visible in Ca’ Rezzonico of the opera singer Faustina Bordoni Hasse and of Sister Maria Caterina Puppi and you will see her ability in representing a bold, self-confident opera star and a suffering, ill woman devoted to God.
Faustina Bordoni Hasse, Pastel on paper, Ca’ Rezzonico, Venice
Suor Maria Caterina Puppi, Pastel on paper, Ca’ Rezzonico, Venice
In her portraits, most of the time, however, we see a rather homogeneous representation of European aristocracy, perfectly sticking to the idea that the personalities portrayed wanted all to look alike —a portrait of a social class where ladies looked like goddesses and men distinguished and elegant.
When you look at the miniatures, though, most of the portraits refer to the ones her clients were in love with. The interaction between the art work and the viewer is therefore quite different. The miniatures Rosalba painted would be on precious tobacco boxes or would be jewels to wear, often hidden under a lid. When you unveiled them, it was an intimate gesture. The miniature could be something you kissed, too… so it is not surprising to find ambiguity or erotic nuances. As Angela Oberer wrote, some pictures leave little to the imagination: is the woman dressing or undressing? Naked breasts, erotic embracing, provocative or coquettish looks in Carriera’s art are pure divertissiment.
Françoise-Marie, Duchesse d’Orléans (1677-1749), as Amphitrite, Miniature, Watercolour on ivory, RCIN 420360, Royal Collection Trust, UK
Rosalba Carriera as an inspirational icon for our times
Rosalba was a self-made woman. Unlike other women artists, she was not introduced to art by her father. She belonged to the bourgeoise class and, as Tiziana Plebani wrote, she was part of that social class glad to become economically independent thanks to professional merit. Just like the opera singer Faustina Bordoni or the dancer Barbara Campanini.
As a woman painter, Rosalba was granted a recognition few received, such as being admitted as a member of the Accademia San Luca in Rome, the Accademia Clementina in Bologna and finally at the Academie Royale de Peinture et Sculpture in Paris.
Rosalba also enjoyed of the peculiar freedom ladies in Venice would enjoy —unlike other countries in Europe. Cafes, opera houses, over one hundred casinos, parties and regattas, Carnival, visiting exhibitions, joining literary salons: a social life which let Venetian women of the kind of Rosalba treasure their independence. I find particularly interesting that while the portraits she made of foreigners are most of all portraits of men, when it comes to portraying Venetians, the vast majority are women.
Was there a price to pay for such a fame?
Rosalba Carriera never married. Not just, she was often described as ugly. Her self portraits certainly do not turn her into a goddess as most of the ladies she portrayed. She was compared to a man, she was de-sexualized. An old spinster or a saint. As if the society she depicted preferred to consider Rosalba an “unusual woman” to let her be so successful.
Rosalba Carriera, Self-Portrait, Pastel on paper, ca. 1745, Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice
Rosalba Carriera, Self-Portrait as Winter, Pastel on paper, 1731, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, Germany
When she lost her sight —she became almost blind at the age of 73 and lived her last nine years not being able to paint— I like thinking she never forgot the shades of color we still today enjoy.
by Luisella Romeo
registered tourist guide in Venice, Italy
www.seevenice.it
On the cover, Flora with putto or Venus and Cupid, Watercolour on ivory, Private Collection lately shown in Ca’ Rezzonico in the exhibition curated by Alberto Craievich, 2023
