Rosalba Carriera Painting Reproductions 1 of 1

Rosalba Carriera was an acclaimed Italian portraitist and miniaturist artist of the Rococo period, revered as one of the most successful female artists throughout history.

Carriera was born on October 12th in Venice Italy to Andrea Carriera (a government clerk) and Alba Foresti (an embroiderer). She had two sisters Giovanna and Angela both of whom also became artists.

Carriera began her career creating miniature portraits on snuff boxes and quickly rose to fame for her pastel work - an emerging medium at that time - which was highly appreciated for its detail, color and luminosity. Although initially her subjects consisted solely of portraits, later her focus broadened out to allegorical and mythological subjects.

In 1705, she was honored by Roman Accademia di San Luca with the rare distinction of becoming an "accademico di merito." Pierre Crozat a wealthy banker and patron of the arts invited her to Paris where she quickly achieved widespread acclaim - eventually joining France's Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture as a member.

Carriera's success lay in her ability to capture the character and essence of her subjects through portraiture. Her portraits not only captured their features, but were a reflection of who they truly were as individuals.

Carriera was known for her artistic skills as well as her charm, wit and intelligence. She was an integral figure within the cultural circles of her time and formed relationships with many leading intellectuals, artists and nobility from across Europe.

However, her later years were marred by personal tragedy. Giovanna Carriera - whom Rosalba considered her closest companion - died of natural causes in 1737; then in 1740 Carriera began losing her sight, eventually going blind by 1750; despite this fact, she continued drawing and painting until her death on April 15th 1757.

Rosalba Carriera left an indelible mark on the art world, helping popularize pastel use and pioneer the Rococo style. Admired by many - including French King Louis XV himself - her work opened doors for other female artists during a time when art world was predominantly male-dominated.