Allegory of Painting and Music

Giovanni Andrea Sirani is perhaps best known as the father of groundbreaking woman artist Elisabetta Sirani (1638-1665), whose work is in the Walker’s collection of drawings. Giovanni trained his three daughters, Elisabetta, Barbara (1641-1692), and Anna Maria (1653-1715) as painters. At this time, it was difficult for women to access an artistic education. Giovanni encouraged his daughters to pursue professional art careers. Elisabetta was by far the most successful and took over her father’s workshop aged just 24. She hired women apprentices and established the first professional art academy for women and girls in Europe. Elisabetta’s efforts set the groundwork for women artists in the following centuries. The women in this painting are allegories. This means that they represent another subject or meaning. These figures portray the arts of painting and music. The woman on the left holds a painter’s palette. The second woman sings from sheet music. Sirani’s daughters often modelled for his paintings. However, there is no evidence that they sat for this work. The exact date for this painting is not known, and it may have been made before Sirani even had children. Given the strong links between the Sirani family and the advancement of women painters in the 17th century, the subject is particularly powerful.