Vincenza Armani (c. 1530 in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

– 11 September 1569), was an Italian actress, singer, poet, musician,

lace Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is divided into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...

maker and sculptor. She was one of the most famous Italian actresses of the period and known as the 'Divine Vincenza Armani'. She and

Barbara Flaminia Barbara Flaminia (1540–1586) was an Italian stage actress.Starší divadlo v českých zemích do konce 18. století. Osobnosti a díla, ed. A. Jakubcová, Praha: Divadelní ústav – Academia 2007 She was one of the earliest actresses known in ...

were the two most known actresses of their time and described as great rivals. Being one of the two first well-documented actresses in Europe, which was the only country where actresses existed at the time, she belonged to the first actresses in modern Europe.

Life

Vincenza Armani was from Venice. She is first mentioned when she performed the part of a man in the theatre company of Zan Ganassa in

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Eur ...

in 1565. She later became the

prima donna In opera or commedia dell'arte, a prima donna (; Italian for "first lady"; plural: ''prime donne'') is the leading female singer in the company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. ''Prime donne'' often had grand off-stage per ...

of the famous commedia dell'arte Gelosi Company of Flaminio Scala. In 1566, Barbara Flaminia is mentioned as her rival of fame, and in 1567, the two performed a famous competition scene in Mantua. The first Italian actress known by name was the actress

Lucrezia Di Siena {{Short description, Italian stage actress Lucrezia Di Siena (fl. 1564), was an Italian stage actress. She is known as the first identified female actor in Europe since antiquity. She signed a signature for an acting contract by a Commedia dell' ...

, whose name is on a contract of actors from 10 October 1564, but Armani was, alongside Barbara Falminia, the first well-documented actress in Italy, in Europe, and in commedia dell'arte, and the first Italian prima donna. Aside from acting, she also acted as a singer. Garzoni called her "Divina" and "A perfect commedienne" and said of her that: :"... by demonstrating the same verbal ability as

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

, she placed the art of acting at the same level as rhetoric."Giacomo Oreglia (2002). Commedia dell'arte. Ordfront. Aside from her stage career, she wrote poetry and composed songs. She manufactured

, and sculptures of wax. Vincenza Armani was reportedly poisoned, possibly by a former lover. Her lover and colleague Adriano Valerini wrote a famous memorial speech to her in 1570.

References

*
Commedia dell'Arte Women Timeline
' *

' * M. A. Katritzky,
The Art of Commedia: A Study in the Commedia Dell'Arte 1560-1620
' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Armani, Vincenza Italian opera singers 1530s births 1569 deaths 16th-century Italian musicians Commedia dell'arte 16th-century Italian actresses Italian stage actresses 16th-century Italian poets 16th-century Venetian people 16th-century Venetian women 16th-century Italian singers 16th-century Italian sculptors