Virginia Vezzi
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Virginia Vezzi, sometimes given as Virginia da Vezzo (1600–1638), was an Italian painter, and the wife of French painter
Simon Vouet Simon Vouet (; 9 January 1590 – 30 June 1649) was a French painter who studied and rose to prominence in Italy before being summoned by Louis XIII to serve as Premier peintre du Roi in France. He and his studio of artists created religious and ...
.


Life in Italy

Virginia Vezzi was born in
Velletri Velletri (; ; ) is an Italian ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, approximately 40 km to the southeast of the city centre, located in the Alban Hills, in the region of Lazio, central Italy. Neighbouring communes are Rocca di Papa, Lar ...
on 24 June 1600 to Plinia Ferri, a midwife, and Pompeo Vezzi, a painter. She may have had contact with the painter Antonio Vezzi, perhaps a relative of Pompeo. Virginia initially trained with her father who recognized her talent at a young age. He decided to move the family to
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
before 1611, to allow Virginia to study from local masters. The family's home was near the church of San Nicola in Arcione. Virginia probably studied first with Marco Tullio Montagna, an artist from Velletri, and then with
Cavalier d'Arpino Giuseppe Cesari (14 February 1568 – 3 July 1640) was an Italian Mannerist painter, also named Il Giuseppino and called ''Cavaliere d'Arpino'', because he was created ''Cavaliere di Cristo'' by his patron Pope Clement VIII. He was much patronize ...
,
Gaspare Celio Gaspare Celio (1571 in Rome–November 24, 1640 in Rome) was an Italian painter of the late-Mannerist and early-Baroque period, active mainly in his native city of Rome. Celio was the pupil of Circignani, according to Baglione, but of Cristofor ...
and
Lanfranco Lanfranco (active in Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. ...
. From 1622 to 1626, Virginia's family lived in via Ferratina (via Frattina), near the home of the French painter
Simon Vouet Simon Vouet (; 9 January 1590 – 30 June 1649) was a French painter who studied and rose to prominence in Italy before being summoned by Louis XIII to serve as Premier peintre du Roi in France. He and his studio of artists created religious and ...
. Simon was 10 years her senior and taught her life drawing at his home from 1623 to 1627.Lollobrigida, Consuelo
"Virginia da Vezzo. Un inedito e qualche riflessione,"
''Diana'', nr. 2/2011, pp. 64-69.
Virginia was now 23 and an accomplished artist. She visited Vouet's workshop to improve her technique.
Cassiano dal Pozzo Cassiano dal Pozzo (1588 – 22 October 1657) was an Italian scholar and patron of arts. The secretary of Cardinal Francesco Barberini, he was an antiquary in the classicizing circle of Rome, and a long-term friend and patron of Nicolas Poussin ...
described her as Vouet's disciple. She painted
history painting History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and B ...
s and miniatures, and also worked in
pastel A pastel () is an art medium that consists of powdered pigment and a binder (material), binder. It can exist in a variety of forms, including a stick, a square, a pebble, and a pan of color, among other forms. The pigments used in pastels are ...
. In 1624, Virginia was inducted as a member of the prestigious painting
Accademia di San Luca The Accademia di San Luca () is an Italian academy of artists in Rome. The establishment of the Accademia de i Pittori e Scultori di Roma was approved by papal brief in 1577, and in 1593 Federico Zuccari became its first ''principe'' or director; ...
, a striking accomplishment for a painter of her youth and gender. Her entrance piece was possibly a painting of the Old Testament heroine, Judith, the only certain autograph and datable painting by her: ''Judith with the Head of Holofernes'' (
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes The Fine Arts Museum of Nantes (French: Musée d'Arts de Nantes), along with 14 other provincial museums, was created, by consular decree on 14 Fructidor in year IX (31 August 1801). Today the museum is one of the largest museums in the region. ...
), engraved by
Claude Mellan Claude Mellan (23 May 1598 – 9 September 1688) was a French draughtsman, engraver, and painter. Early life and training Mellan was born in Abbeville, the son of a customs official. His first known print (Préaud no. 288), made for a thesi ...
in 1626. Another version of the painting was auctioned at
Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Geneva, Shan ...
in 2006 for EUR 64,480.Virginia Vezzi, o da Vezzo (Velletri 1601-1638 Parigi), ''Giuditta''
(Christie's auction catalogue page)
In 1624, Simon was also elected president of the Academy. In 1626, Virginia Vezzi and Simon Vouet were married in the church of
San Lorenzo in Lucina The Minor Basilica of St. Lawrence in Lucina ( or simply ; ) is a Roman Catholic parish, titular church, and minor basilica in central Rome, Italy. The basilica is located in Piazza di San Lorenzo in Lucina in the Rione Colonna, about two blocks ...
, their home parish and also the church associated with French painters in Rome. In this church, Vouet was responsible for the decoration of the Alaleoni Chapel; Virginia probably assisted him, particularly in the painting of the angels. In 1626, Marcello Giovannetti, a friend of the couple, published a book of poems, including a sonnet dedicated to a painting of Danae by Virginia.


Life in France

Virginia married
Simon Vouet Simon Vouet (; 9 January 1590 – 30 June 1649) was a French painter who studied and rose to prominence in Italy before being summoned by Louis XIII to serve as Premier peintre du Roi in France. He and his studio of artists created religious and ...
in Rome in 1626 and the following year moved with him to his native
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, where Simon, as
Premier peintre du Roi The ''Premier peintre du Roi'' (; ''First painter to the King'') was a court painter position within the administration of the ''Bâtiments du Roi'' of the '' Département de la Maison du Roi'' in France under the ''Ancien Régime''. Its holder ...
, was given lodgings in the
Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...
in Paris. Virginia was "known for her beauty...and she often served as the model for her husband's Magdalenes, Madonnas, and mythological heroines." (See for example ''Virginia da Vezzo, the Artist's Wife, as the Magdalen'' at
LACMA The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 1961 ...
, ''Saint Cecilia'' at the
Blanton Museum of Art The Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art (often referred to as the Blanton or the BMA) at the University of Texas at Austin is one of the largest university art museums in the U.S. with 189,340 square feet devoted to temporary exhibitions, permanent co ...
, and ''The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist'' at the
Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...
in San Francisco.) She also "augmented the teaching activities of her husband by offering drawing lessons to young ladies of good family, thereby beginning a custom traditionally associated with the Louvre." The seventeenth-century French scholar Isaac Bullart described her as
''...Dame Romaine d'une beauté singuliere, et si bien instruite en l'Art de peindre qu'elle eut souvent l'honneur de travailler en la présence du Roy & de recevoir de sa bouche les loüanges qui estoient deües aux ouvrages de sa belle main, que la France voit encore dans les curieuses estampes qu’on en a mises au jour.'' (...a Roman lady of singular beauty, and so well instructed in the art of painting that she often had the honor of working in the presence of the King and receiving from his lips words of praise for the works of her beautiful hand, which France still sees in curious prints that have come to light.)
It has been speculated that she may have played a role in her husband's ''
atelier An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or vi ...
'' but, aside from the ''Self-Portrait or Muse'' attributed to her by Consuelo Lollobrigida, there remains "a lack of evidence for her activity as a painter during her years in the French capital." Virginia and Simon had five children. She died in Paris on October 17, 1638.


Other paintings attributed to Vezzi

A handful of other paintings have been attributed to Vezzi. All but one are roughly datable to her years in Rome. David Mandrella has suggested an attribution to Vezzi for another ''Judith'', this one at the
Alte Pinakothek The Alte Pinakothek (, ''Old Pinakothek'') is an art museum located in the Kunstareal area in Munich, Germany. It is one of the oldest galleries in the world and houses a significant collection of Old Master paintings. The name Alte (Old) Pin ...
in Munich (see Gallery), currently attributed to Simon Vouet, but Mandrella's argument "does not convince" longtime Vouet/Vezzi scholar Arnaud Brejon de Lavergnée. Dr. Consuelo Lollobrigida has attributed other paintings to Vezzi, including ''Self-portrait or Muse'' (1630-1632) in a French private collection (this would date to Vezzi's time in Paris; see Gallery); an ''Allegory of Painting'' (c. 1620) in an Italian private collection, which Lollobrigida believes to be a self-portrait of Vezzi in the act of painting the young Simon Vouet (see Gallery); and ''Self-Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria'' (c. 1624). In 1992, Vouet specialist William R. Crelly suggested that Vezzi may have painted th
''Danaë''
at the
Blanton Museum of Art The Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art (often referred to as the Blanton or the BMA) at the University of Texas at Austin is one of the largest university art museums in the U.S. with 189,340 square feet devoted to temporary exhibitions, permanent co ...
in Austin (see Gallery). Subsequently, a restoration of the painting uncovered a putto and an image of Jupiter that prompted the Blanton to attribute the ''Danaë'' to
Jacques Blanchard Jacques Blanchard (1600 – 1638), also known as Jacques Blanchart, was a French baroque painter who was born in Paris. He was raised and taught by his uncle, the painter (ca. 1560–1630). Jacques’s brother and son, Jean-Baptiste Blanchard ...
(who painted another ''Danaë'', at the
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon The Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon (, ) is a municipal museum of fine arts in the French city of Lyon. Located near the Place des Terreaux, it is housed in a former Benedictine convent which was active during the 17th and 18th centuries. It was res ...
). But as recently as 2013, art historian Guillaume Kazerouni has disputed the Blanchard attribution and repeated the suggestion that the Blanton ''Danaë'' may be by Virginia Vezzi. Another painting, of a woman in a red dress with a blue cloak and a cream shawl (see Gallery), has been attributed to Vezzi by Kazerouni and another art historian, Adeline Collange, who both believe it may be a self-portrait; however, Arnauld and Barbara Brejon de Lavergnée do not believe the painting depicts Virginia Vezzi. An oil on copper ''Crucifixion'' has been listed as "attributed to Virginia Vezzi" by the Matthiesen Gallery in London (see Gallery).


Gallery

File:Virginia da Vezzo, Wife of Simon Vouet MET DP822395.jpg, Virginia da Vezzo, portrait engraving by Claude Mellan, 1626,
Metropolitan Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the third-largest museum in the world and the largest art museum in the Americas. With 5.36 million v ...
. File:Vouet - Judith.JPG, ''Judith'' (c.1620-1625) by Simon Vouet (or Virginia Vezzi?),
Alte Pinakothek The Alte Pinakothek (, ''Old Pinakothek'') is an art museum located in the Kunstareal area in Munich, Germany. It is one of the oldest galleries in the world and houses a significant collection of Old Master paintings. The name Alte (Old) Pin ...
. File:Allegoria_della_pittura_-_Vezzi_(%3F).png, ''Allegory of Painting'' (c. 1620), a self-portrait of Virginia Vezzi painting the young
Simon Vouet Simon Vouet (; 9 January 1590 – 30 June 1649) was a French painter who studied and rose to prominence in Italy before being summoned by Louis XIII to serve as Premier peintre du Roi in France. He and his studio of artists created religious and ...
? File:Danaë - Blanchard.png, ''Danaë'' (1620-1630) by
Jacques Blanchard Jacques Blanchard (1600 – 1638), also known as Jacques Blanchart, was a French baroque painter who was born in Paris. He was raised and taught by his uncle, the painter (ca. 1560–1630). Jacques’s brother and son, Jean-Baptiste Blanchard ...
(or Virginia Vezzi?) at the
Blanton Museum of Art The Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art (often referred to as the Blanton or the BMA) at the University of Texas at Austin is one of the largest university art museums in the U.S. with 189,340 square feet devoted to temporary exhibitions, permanent co ...
. File:Virginia-da Vezzo--vs--Jacques Blanchard-vs---Danae--Blanton--BEFORE ca 2012 restoration.jpg, The Blanton ''Danaë'' before the restoration that uncovered the putto and Jupiter. File:Simon Vouet Portrait of Virginia da Vezzo.JPG, Simon Vouet, fragment of a possible portrait of Virginia Vezzi (c. 1624-26), Gemäldegalerie, Berlin File:Virginia da Vezzo--attributed--perhaps self-portrait.jpg, Painting attributed to Virginia Vezzi, possibly a self-portrait. File:Virginia da Vezzo -- aka Virginia Vezzi -- Self-portrait or Muse -- 1630-32.jpg, ''Self-Portrait or Muse'', attributed by Lollobrigida to Virginia Vezzi (1630-1632). File:Virginia Vezzi (attributed) - Crucifixion.jpg, ''Crucifixion'', oil on copper, attributed to Virginia Vezzi at th
Matthiesen Gallery
London.


References


Further reading

* Michel, O. "Virginia Vezzi et l’entourage de Simon Vouet à Rome" in S. Loire (ed.), ''Simon Vouet: Actes du colloque international, Grand Palais, 5–7 February 1991'', pp. 123–33.


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vezzi, Virginia 1601 births 1638 deaths 17th-century Italian women painters 17th-century Italian painters 17th-century Italian women artists People from Velletri Italian history painters Italian portrait miniaturists Italian pastel artists Italian women pastel artists