Isabella Piccini (born Elisabetta Piccini 1644-1732) was an Italian artist and

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

. She worked in the mediums of etching, engraving, and illustration.

Life and work

Piccini was born in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

in 1644. Her father was etcher and engraver

Giacomo Piccini Giacomo Piccini (born 22 March 1985) is an Italian professional racing driver who most recently competed in the Michelin Le Mans Cup for Iron Lynx. Team Management On July 1, 2021, it was announced that Piccini would head the new joint project ...

. He trained Piccini in engraving and illustration in the style of the great masters such as

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...

and

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

. Piccini became a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

in 1666, joining the Convent of Santa Croce. Upon joining, she changed her name to Sister Isabella. Prominent Italians commissioned works from her, including portraits and religious artworks. Giovanni Antonio Remondini distributed her prints throughout Europe. All income she made was split between her

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

and her family.

Notable collections

*''Title Page Dittionario Italiano, e Francese Del Signor Veneroni'', 1644–1734,

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

Gallery

Isabella Piccini - Frontispiece of Fatinellus de Fatinellis (1627–1719) - Vita beatae Zitae virginis Lucensi, 1688.jpg, ''Vita beatae Zitae virginis Lucensis, ex vetustissimo codice m.s. fidelitèr transumpta.Ferrara: Typographia Filoniana, 1688'' Saint Jovan Vladimir (Akolouthia 1690).PNG, Engraving of Saint Jovan Vladimir, 1690 Suor Isabella Piccini - Horse - Cavallo imperfetto del Polesine, 1692.jpg, ''Cavallo imperfetto del Polesine'', 1692 File:Portret van aartsbisschop Carlo Labia, RP-P-1909-5153.jpg, ''Simboli predicabili : estratti da sacri evangeli che corrono nella quadragesima : delineati con morali, & eruditi discorsi'', 1692 Portret van dichter Octavio de' Rossi, RP-P-1908-3957.jpg, Portrait of poet Ottavio de' Rossi File:Portret van theoloog en schrijver Francesco Fulvio Frugoni, RP-P-1909-5151.jpg, Portrait of writer Francesco Fulvio Frugoni

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Piccini, Isabella 1664 births 16th-century Venetian women 16th-century Christian nuns 16th-century Italian women artists 1732 deaths 17th-century engravers Franciscan nuns Italian engravers Italian etchers 17th-century Italian Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns Nuns and art Republic of Venice artists Italian women engravers Italian women illustrators Women etchers Catholic engravers Female Catholic artists Catholic etchers 17th-century etchers