Giovanna Garzoni is little known because she was a woman and because she practiced an art considered “minor” by the traditional art history narrative (written by men). She was probably born around 1600 in Ascoli Piceno, though the exact date remains uncertain.
I’m always amazed by how precocious these female artists were: archival documents mention a “Holy Family” painted by her at just sixteen years old, which was later recorded in a private collection in 1830. From the very beginning, Garzoni devoted herself to miniature painting, a term that at the time encompassed works on parchment even if they weren’t particularly small in size—thus carrying a different meaning than what we now consider “miniature.”
Part of her family came from Venice, where the artist moved with her brother Mattio. I imagine the young Giovanna delighted at the opportunity to study in seventeenth-century Venice, attending Giacomo Rogni’s school of calligraphy and admiring Palma il Giovane’s works. Some sources suggest that between 1618 and 1620, she may have met Artemisia Gentileschi during a Florentine sojourn, an unconfirmed but plausible hypothesis.
The mysterious marriage to Tiberio Tinelli
According to art historian Francesca Bottacin, Garzoni was given in marriage to the Venetian painter Tiberio Tinelli at the end of 1622. I find the expression “given in marriage” truly distasteful, as though the woman’s own will did not matter.
Based on this account, the union ended in 1624, probably because Giovanna had taken a vow of chastity, making cohabitation impossible. Venetian records allegedly even mention an investigation instigated by Garzoni’s father, convinced that Tinelli practiced the magical arts and had bewitched his daughter.
I find it striking that, in an era when marriage so often spelled the end of a woman’s freedom, Giovanna nonetheless managed to continue her artistic path.
Artistic activity and early stages
In 1625, Garzoni was back in Venice, where she created a “Portrait of a Gentleman,” now in the Collection of the Queen of the Netherlands at The Hague.
In 1630, she was in Naples serving the Spanish Viceroy, Fernando Afán de Ribera, Duke of Alcalá. Before settling in the city, she briefly stopped in Rome, coming into contact with Cassiano dal Pozzo and the Accademia dei Lincei. In a letter to Cassiano dated April 19, 1631, written from Naples, she declared her wish to “live and die in Rome.”
Yet in 1632, she was summoned to Turin by Christina of France, Duchess of Savoy, and the following year her name appeared in a roster of artists at the Accademia di San Luca—evidence of the esteem she enjoyed. At that time, women were admitted as honorary members, enjoying certain privileges but without actively participating in the academy’s teaching activities reserved for men. You can learn more here about the acceptance of women into the Academies.
Recognition and legacy
Around the end of 1637, Garzoni left Turin and traveled to England and France, eventually arriving in Florence in 1642, where she worked for the Grand Dukes of Tuscany. Many of her compositions can be found at Palazzo Pitti, often still lifes with fruits, flowers, and animals, sometimes erroneously attributed to other artists such as Jacopo Ligozzi.
Only in 1964 did Mina Gregori definitively attribute numerous works to Garzoni, recognizing her characteristic light outline, parallel strokes, and stippled shadows.
Beginning in 1651, the artist settled more permanently in Rome, strengthening her ties with the Accademia di San Luca, to which she donated her personal archive and several sketchbooks.
She died in February 1670, leaving funds to erect a funeral monument in the Church of Santi Luca e Martina, near a house she had built against the church’s walls.
What strikes me about Giovanna Garzoni
I’m fascinated by her many travels, from her native Ascoli to Venice, then Florence, Naples, Turin, England, France, and finally Rome. I believe this nomadic life reflects her determination to learn, to start over, and to challenge herself in different settings.
I’m also struck by her marriage story: I often think that for women, being able to devote themselves to art depended on a stroke of good fortune or personal resolve in defying imposed roles. I thank her and many other women for finding ways to thrive despite the era’s limitations. I dream of painting with her patience and precision.
Want to learn more? Discover the full biography on Patreon. If this overview has piqued your interest, I invite you to read the complete text with all the details and backstories about Giovanna Garzoni’s life. I look forward to your thoughts in the comments—tell me what you think and share your insights!
Cover image: Still Life with Basket of Lemons (1640). Tempera on parchment. Getty Museum, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles – public domain.
