Caterina Tarabotti Unveiled

Abstract

Caterina Tarabotti (1615–1693) never identified herself as a painter in contemporary documents or claimed authorship of any picture with her signature. She would have surely joined the ranks of the many anonymous women painters of her time, were it not for the art critic and historian Marco Boschini (1602–1681). In his La Carta del Navegar Pitoresco (1660), Boschini was the first to notice Caterina’s talents and provide information about her life.1 Alluding to her namesake saint and surname, Boschini infused the painter’s biography with lyric flair. A light coming out of the Varotari workshop, Caterina was, according to Boschini, a virgin very gifted in painting. She herself honored art with her achievements, which came effortlessly. Comparing her to a silver lamp that never burns out, the author, with a sense of optimism, concluded that Caterina would live forever and her name would bear eternal light and splendor.