In the 17th and 18th centuries, art was considered primarily a man’s business. The few women who managed to make their way were often the object of prejudice or had to work in fields considered “minor”. Rosalba Carriera, on the other hand, made a real leap in quality: she transformed the pastel technique into a refined form of painting, making herself noticed in a competitive market, so much so that she was declared “Ornament of Italy and first painter of Europe” by Christian Cole, secretary to Lord Manchester, English ambassador first in Venice, then transferred to the papal court.
What fascinates me about Rosalba Carriera is her being “alternative”. She became famous for an art considered “minor”, pastel portraits, she never married, she traveled to the European courts, she was independent and enterprising. She also managed to maintain her economic independence, choosing never to marry.
Reluctant to travel, her response to Giorgio Maria Rapparini, who invited her to Dusseldorf with these words, remains fantastic for me: “I pity Signora Rosalba who must remain in Venice for the comfort of her mother, without knowing that outside those lagoons there is still a world, men and bread”.
Here is Rosalba Carriera’s response: “It must still be certain, that I know very well that even outside the lagoons there is a world of men and women, but that I settle for the will of heaven, which orders that my travels be at the table, and I am content with little bread. As for men… believe this great truth: that there is nothing in the world that worries me less”. I find it truly a great response, from a woman who certainly does not let herself be “taught how to live” by some male.
Venetian society at the time was divided between the high society of the salons – where artistic and literary encounters took place – and the rigid conventions that attributed a marginal role to women. Rosalba Carriera managed to move in these spaces with great diplomatic skill, transforming her “condition as a woman artist” into a point of strength and uniqueness.
Rosalba Carriera’s family background
Rosalba Carriera (1673–1757) did not come from an aristocratic family or one of very high social rank. Historical sources place her in a rather modest bourgeois-artisan class, although not without some economic resources and contacts in Venetian society. Her father, Andrea, is sometimes cited as a modest employee in the state administration (or in any case linked to bureaucratic duties); her mother, Alba Foresti, came from an environment where manual skills were cultivated (some studies hypothesize that she was an embroiderer or engaged in typical Venetian artisan activities, such as lace).
Although they were not noble, the Carriera family still had the opportunity to have Rosalba study (especially after she began to show some talent), and to allow her some freedom in learning artistic techniques. The first miniatures made by Rosalba, for example, fit right into the market of “decorated snuffboxes”, a luxury item much sought after by both local nobility and foreign visitors.
The decorated snuffboxes that were so fashionable in the 18th century are for me a shining example of how much taste people had for beauty and decoration, something totally lost nowadays.
The historical-artistic context in which Rosalba Carriera lived
Rosalba Carriera operated ina fast-moving Europe change, marked by the political decline of the Republic of Venice and the emergence of new powers such as France, Habsburg Empire and England. During the 18th century, the wars of succession reshaped the geopolitical balance, making the European courts vital centers of propaganda and culture. In this climate, cities such as Paris, Vienna and Dresden became centers of attraction for talented artists, eager to obtain patrons among the aristocracy and nobility, who sought to consolidate their prestige through art.
From an artistic point of view, the period in which Carriera lived saw the transition from Baroque to Rococo. While Baroque was characterized by grandeur and drama, Rococo emphasized lightness, decorative grace and pastel colors. Rosalba Carriera fit perfectly into this context, elevating the pastel technique to a refined art form appreciated by the European courts. French artists such as Antoine Watteau and François Boucher were his contemporaries, contributing to the diffusion of a style that prioritized elegance and delicacy, elements that Carriera masterfully incorporated into his portraits.
Eighteenth-century Venetian society, despite being in political decline, maintained a strong cultural prestige and a centuries-old artistic tradition. Venice was a crossroads of cultures and a meeting point for merchants, nobles and travelers on the “Grand Tour”, encouraging the exchange of ideas and the demand for refined works of art.
Rosalba Carriera was in great demand by all the aristocrats who ended their Grand Tour right in Venice: imagine taking a trip to Europe in an era when smartphones or cameras did not exist, these aristocrats couldn’t wait to have their own portrait or a souvenir to take home.
Rosalba Carriera’s atelier
I really like to remember that Rosalba Carriera never got married and continued her business alone, in Venice and in Europe. Probably if she had been a man we would speak of a “school”, a “workshop” with a following, students and she would be cited by the major art critics and experts of the time.
Several women collaborated in her atelier, including her sister Giovanna Carriera, also a talented artist, specialized in painting miniatures on ivory. Probably also her mother Alba Foresti, an embroiderer, contributed to the manual work in the workshop.
She also had a favorite student, Felicita Sartori, a painter and miniaturist (who deserves more research and a dedicated article), who later became a court painter in Dresden, and Marianna Carlevarijs (to whom Wikipedia dedicates a paltry 2 lines, it should be studied in more detail), also a painter and portraitist.
We always remember that unfortunately Rosalba Carrierais an exception, an extraordinary life, a bright star in a sky populated only by males. We do not know details about her students, about the other artists who surrounded her, about how much they contributed to the art of the time. We do not know, because no memory of them has been passed down.
Unfortunately, the end of Rosalba Carriera’s life and career also saddens me a lot, even though she lived a long time for her time: she was struck by cataracts at 73, she also underwent surgery but became blind and unable to work. She died 7 years later. She decided in her will to leave her money to 4 young women, giving them the gift of the most precious thing for a woman: economic independence.
I imagine this strong and enterprising woman running her blind workshop, giving orders to her students 🙂 I feel so much admiration and I am happy that at least her name, among that of who knows how many women artists in history, is now known and her art admired.
European success
In Venice Rosalba Carriera portrayed several times the Prince Elector Augustus III of Saxony, who created Dresden the “Rosalba’s Cabinet” in its nascent Art Gallery, a space entirely dedicated to her where approximately 157 works were kept, until 1918.
In 1720, even though reluctant to travel, she spent a year and a half in Paris, with her mother and sister Giovanna. Highly sought after by the Parisian court for her portraits, she painted about fifty, including one of the young Louis XV. She launched the fashion for pastel portraits and was elected to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Paris. It had been 50 years since a woman had been a member. She became friends with Jean Baptiste Watteau, the French painter of country festivals, eleven years younger than her, who posed for her and vice versa.
In 1730 she was called to Vienna, where she painted the portrait of Emperor Charles VI, unfortunately now lost.
She was a cultured woman, skilled in conversation, music and therefore willingly hosted in the salons of the time.
In 1705, despite never having been to Rome, she was admitted to the prestigious Accademia di San Luca with the work Girl with Dove.
His Venice was still the place where he loved to be, and after these trips he was happy to return to the lagoon in his home. Her house became an artistic literary salon frequented by artists, patrons and collectors of the time, including the young Tiepolo.
A novel that I recommend that paints a beautiful portrait of this artist is “The secret in the gaze. Memoirs of Rosalba Carriera, the first painter in Europe” by Valentina Casarotto.
The artistic technique of Rosalba Carriera
As an artist, when I look at a work I would like to know everything about the techniques used to make it. Now we buy tube paints, commercial pastels, paper and canvases already prepared, but Rosalba Carriera, like all artists of the past, created her own artistic means.
I imagine her painting these tempera portraits on the small ivories, and it can’t be easy since the ivory is slippery, the miniature requires very thin brushes and shading a flesh tone in a few millimeters requires unique mastery.
Rosalba Carriera in herportraits and miniatures on ivory used the shade of the support (ivory) to leave the flesh without brush strokes, a bit like when you paint in watercolour using the paper itself for the white, creating the shades with the pointillism technique, given the very small space to maneuver.
Here is an example of the technique used to paint on ivory, a beautiful watercolour on a 7.5 x 5.5 cm large ivory
For me, as a restoration technician, it is also very interesting to see the reverse side of this type of work:
I imagine the queue of these aristocratic tourists who travelled to Venice and absolutely wanted a portrait made by Carriera: her fame must have been enormous. There were no photos, it was the only form of selfie they could have!
Rosalba Carriera became famous for her pastel portraits, invited to courts throughout Europe to make portraits. She made her own pastels, the recipes for which are described in the essay “Different ways to form colors” published by Abscondita (March 6, 2012), and the fact that such a recipe book has reached us is wonderful.
Pastels as an artistic technique are fantastic because they allow you to obtain vibrant and bright colors and soft shades. Pastels are made of pure pigments and a binder, which can be rabbit glue, gum arabic or oil. There are softer or harder pastels, with more or less binder, suitable for different uses. Nowadays additives are also added to the pastel mix, so you always have to read the specifications provided by the company that produces the pastels carefully and this changes the price and quality.
I tried the soft Windsor&Newton pastels and the CarbOthello Arty + Stabilo pastel pencils, very pigmented, very dusty so they need to be protected, but with truly exceptional colors.
In many cases, pastel drawings need to be fixed because otherwise they “dust”, so the drawing needs to be protected with a fixative spray or with tissue paper (today). But how did Rosalba Carriera fix her drawings?
Rosalba Carriera was known for her creative independence and willingness to experiment with new techniques. It is possible that she developed or adapted personalized fixing methods to optimize the conservation of her pastel works. She probably used gum arabic or natural resins, prepared by herself and the result of numerous experiments.
Where to see Rosalba Carriera’s works
Unfortunately between 2023 and 2024 I missed the exhibition in Venice “Rosalba Carriera, Miniatures on ivory” at Ca’ Rezzonico and I highly recommend seeing her works in person, because I assure you that a work of art in a photo it doesn’t do it at all, no matter how good the photo, especially on the web.
Today the works of Rosalba Carriera are visible at the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice, at the Ca’ Rezzonico Museum in Venice, at the Louvre in Paris, at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, in the Royal Collection in London, the National Gallery in London, the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan, the Museo del Prado in Madrid, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago.
Many concepts written in this article and numerous inspirations I have drawn from the beautiful podcast on Rosalba Carriera from the series “RItrarre d’artiste” published by Chora Media. Here is the episode that I recommend you listen to:
I find Rosalba Carriera a woman to admire: enterprising, cultured, intelligent and who knows her stuff. It must not have been easy for her time to dedicate herself to her profession without the constraint of having to get married. She dedicated her life to her art, she supported herself and her family financially and she did not compromise with the gender role expected of women of her time. An exception that pushes me to be strong and decisive like her in the decisions that concern my life.
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And what do you think of Rosalba Carriera’s art and her figure as a female artist of the 18th century? Write me your observations in the comments below.
