You may use a chapter from an edited book for your assignment. The books below may help you in your search. Find them either in Criss Library or online; click on the book title for more information. Look carefully at the title and abstract or first paragraph of the chapter to ensure the topic and time period fits the assignment parameters.
Attending to Women in Early Modern England
by
Betty S. Travitsky (Editor); Adele F. Seeff (Editor); Susan Amussen (Editor)
This volume contains the edited proceedings from the 1990 symposium of the same title, focusing on the interdisciplinary study of women in early modern England. After an introduction providing an overview of the current issues shaping Renaissance women's studies, the four parts of the book cover the challenge of making women visible and its political implications in academia; the construction of identity in the representation of women's deaths; an analysis of working-class women; and issues of pedagogy.
Eva/Ave: Women in Renaissance and Baroque Prints
by
H. Diane Russell
Russell, a curator at the National Gallery, touches upon various topics relating to the portrayal of women during this period: chastity as social necessity; the choice between marriage and convent; the inherent (male) power of the visual image. Grouped by subject matter, the prints portray Eve, Venus, and the Virgin and saints. A section on heroines includes the biblical Judith, who decapitated Holofernes. In one print, Judith, fully clothed, is depicted as powerful and virtuous; in another by the same artist, she is eroticized by her nakedness. The chapter on lovers offers a series of ``ill-assorted'' couples--one young woman with an old man is shown with her hand open, ``demanding money before she will grant sexual favors.'' This book provides a thoughtful feminist reading of a genre of art--and a period of art history--unabashedly committed to the subjugation of the female sex.
Try combinations of the search terms below to find an article in JSTOR about the role of women in Northern Renaissance art.
| Place | Time | Subject |
|---|---|---|
|
Netherlands Belgium Germany France England Low countries |
Renaissance 14th century 15th century 16th century |
Women's art Women's patronage Female patrons Art of women Women painters Female painters Women's work Women's roles Wives in art Sisters in art Daughters in art Saints in art Virgin Mary in art Nuns in art |
Do an Advanced Search in JSTOR for articles about Northern Renaissance painting in the National Gallery Technical Bulletin.

