Portrait of Gerolamo Mercuriale 1589

Lavinia Fontana, a pioneering female artist of the late 16th century, painted this portrait of Gerolamo Mercuriale. Fontana’s identity as a woman artist in a male-dominated era deeply influences the reading of this portrait. The fact that Mercuriale, a renowned physician known for his writings on hygiene and physical education, chose a female artist for his portrait speaks volumes. The portrait is rich in symbolism, with the book opened to anatomical drawings subtly nodding to Mercuriale’s profession. But it also signifies Fontana's own intellectual positioning. Consider how issues of gender, class and identity coalesce. It can be understood that the sitter trusts Fontana with his self-fashioning, despite a world in which women were not considered intellectual equals of men. The painting stands as a testament to Fontana’s skill, which allowed her to navigate and negotiate a space for herself in the world.