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1658

Oil on canvas

Moscow, The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, inv. Ж-70

© The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow

Elisabetta’s extraordinary gifts as an artist, together with her astounding productivity allowed her to achieve great professional success within just a few years. Sources at the time state that she was considered an established “maestra” by the start of the 1660s. Sirani was herself fully aware of her skills and in the Note of Paintings she proudly wrote down the works requested by illustrious customers, dwelling on the originality of her inventions and on the acknowledgements received. Together with various self portraits, this precious document, conceived with no utilitarian worries, is testimony to Elisabetta’s wish to establish her own personal identity and autonomy as an artist. In the Allegory of Painting (self-portrait?) Sirani may have portrayed herself intent on her work and surrounded by objects (books, pen and inkwell, and an antique statue) that denote her humanist culture.

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Elisabetta’s art was appreciated by a large public, from the most important personages in Bologna’s intellectual, political and ecclesiastic circles, to diplomats and crowned heads throughout Europe. Carlo Cesare Malvasia, a frequent visitor to Sirani’s home and studio, and one of the main admirers of her work, celebrated her in his historiographical work on Bolognese artists, La Felsina Pittrice (1678), which contributed to creating the myth around Sirani, shortly after her premature death.

Other important figures in the cultural circles of Bologna, and close friends of the Sirani family, included minor friar Bonaventura Bisi, Marquis Ferdinando Cospi, and Count Annibale Ranuzzi. These personages, together with Giovanni Andrea, were active on the local art market as correspondents and agents of the Medici. As a result of these links, Elisabetta’s works were presented at the Florentine court. In 1658, Bisi introduced her as a “putta molto valente […] [che] dipinge da homo con molta prontezza et invenzione” to Cardinal Leopoldo, who showed great appreciation for her artistic gifts, as did other members of the Grand Ducal family.

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Etching

Regional Museum Complex of Emilia Romagna - National Art Gallery of Bologna - Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv. 23105

In this etching, Elisabetta re-elaborates a work by her father, the Immaculate Conception painted by Giovanni Andrea Sirani for the church of San Paolo in Monte in Bologna. The subject was much loved by Malvasia who, as Sirani herself wrote in her Note of Paintings, asked for a copy of the canvas in 1662. She also notes that in the same year, she produced a print with the same subject for the scholar, which cannot be identified for certain in the print presented here.  

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Etching

Florence, Uffizi Galleries, Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv 106338 st. sc.

As it says in the inscription on the print, Sirani dedicated this work to Bonaventura Bisi. Bisi, a miniaturist and art agent for important courts such as the Medici in Florence and the Este court in Modena, introduced the young artist to Leopoldo de’ Medici, in a praise-filled letter in 1658. The subject of the etching is taken from a drawing by Bisi himself, imitating a painting thought at the time to be by Raphael and owned by the Duke of Modena (now in the Gemäldegalerie in Dresden). This print, with its wide range of chiaroscuro shades, is splendid proof of Elisabetta’s talents as print maker.

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1664

Oil on canvas

Modena, Civic Art Museum, inv. Ser. 8

Modena, Photo Archive of the Civic Art Museum (photo by Paolo Pugnaghi)

Marquis Ferdinando Cospi, who was related to the Medici family, enjoyed close relations with the Florentine court, where he had spent part of his youth and for which he served as ambassador, helping the Medicis to obtain the services of Bologna’s artists. Cospi, erudite patron and collector of art works, medals, majolica and natural curiosities, was - together with his son-in-law, Annibale Ranuzzi - one of the main architect’s of Sirani’s success with the Medici family. He also commissioned six paintings from her. The last one, in chronological order is Galatea, signed and dated in gilt letters on the trim of the cushion. This is a canvas that pays homage, in its marine theme, to Cospi’s naturalistic interests. Elisabetta, who was famed for her original inventions, did not paint the nymph according to commonly used iconography - in the company of her lover, Acis and love rival of this latter, the giant Polyphemus - choosing instead to paint her as a Nereid in the act of sailing on the sea, aboard a shell, and accompanied by two cherubs

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Red chalk, paper

Florence, Uffizi Galleries, Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv 15568 F

This sheet, signed on the back by the artist (“io elisabetta sirani fato di me”), depicts Annibale Ranuzzi, one of the most active agents in the service of Leopoldo de’ Medici in Bologna. The count worked in close contact with the Sirani family, often taking the advice of Giovanni Andrea to assess the quality and the prices of drawings to be sent to the cardinal. Ranuzzi also had a primary role in establishing and maintaining relations between Elisabetta and Leopoldo.

This study, almost certainly an autonomous work, is testament to the artist’s skills in using chalk, a technique she did not often employ. With just a few means and in a cursory sketch, Sirani is able to convey the personality of the subject, capturing his sly, “rapacious” expression that corresponds perfectly with the cutting nature that emerges from his own letters.

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1661

Oil on canvas

Bologna, private collection

This small canvas, painted for Margherita Luisa d’Orléans on the occasion of her wedding to the future Grand Duke, Cosimo III de’ Medici, is an example of court painting, rich with elegant allusions and allegorical references.

As a wedding gift, the painting celebrates the theme of love and at the same time, the union of the couple. The six pearls (in Latin margaritae) contained in the oyster held by Cupid evoke the name of the bride and are arranged to recreate the Medici emblem. The soft, rich brushstrokes, neo-Venetian in style, contribute to creating an image that is both joyous and sensual. The cupid astride a dolphin, visible in the background, symbolises an iconic treatise by Cesare Ripa, “l’animo piacevole, trattabile e amorevole”: a wish for a harmonious marriage, which, unfortunately, was not the case. In fact, in 1675, Margherita was permitted to leave Florence and to return to her native France, where she lived until her death.

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Black chalk, brush and wash on paper

Florence, Uffizi Galleries, Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv 6300 F

This study, together with one of a Portrait of a Young Man, was sent by Ferdinando Cospi, on behalf of Giovanni Andrea Sirani, to Leopoldo de’ Medici. From a letter dated 19 August 1662, accompanying the two works, it can be surmised that they were a gift to the cardinal from the artist herself.

The Beheading shows obvious similarities with a print of the same subject, made by the artist in 1657. However, there are substantial differences in the way the scene is set out. Compared to the etching, the composition of the drawing is decidedly more dynamic, and set out on a diagonal line. The drama of the action is further emphasised by the placing of the saint’s head between the figure of the executioner and the bystanders.

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c. 1662

Black and red chalk, subsequent additions in coloured pastels on paper

Florence, Uffizi Galleries, Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv 6299 F

 

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1664

Oil on canvas

Vignola, Municipality of Vignola, inv. 8887

The careful strategies put in place by Giovanni Andrea Sirani and the agents of Bologna to promote the work of Elisabetta at the Medici court, culminated with a commission from Leopoldo in 1663, for an allegorical painting of Charity, Justice and Prudence, chosen to represent the virtues of the Tuscan family.

This was an important commission for Sirani, who worked on the painting for a long period. Ferdinando Cospi and Annibale Ranuzzi constantly informed the cardinal on the painting’s progress: Ranuzzi also sent a composition study to Florence in the form of a drawing, now part of a private collection.

Elisabetta, who signed the majority of her works, initialled the canvas in a hidden point. Using a trick that was certainly appreciated by a refined patron such as Leopoldo, she added a letter from her name to each button on the dress worn by Justice. The painting, which was completed in 1664, was paid for with a cross that had 56 diamonds, and which the artist displayed, together with other precious gifts, in a cabinet in her studio. These jewels were tangible proof of the prestige reached by Sirani, who received illustrious personages and intellectuals from all of Europe in her studio, who came there to watch her paint. It was in the presence of Cosimo III de’ Medici, that Elisabetta painted one of the children suckled by Charity. The future Grand Duke was so charmed by the dexterity and speed of the artist, that he ordered a Virgin and Child, not identified to date.

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post 1664

Engraving

Florence, Uffizi Galleries, Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv 12057 st. sc.

Elisabetta’s portrait of Luigi Magni came to Florence accompanied by two letters dated 4 March 1664: one written by Ferdinando Cospi and the other by Giovanni Andrea Sirani. Based on these letters, we know that the artist had immortalised the features of young prodigy and doctor of Philosophy and Medicine from the University of Bologna, at just ten years of age, while giving lessons to her and brother Antonio Maria. Aware of the esteem that Magni enjoyed, including at the Medici court, Elisabetta decided to send this work to Leopoldo de’ Medici as thanks for the commission to paint Charity, Justice and Prudence. The portrait was greatly appreciated by the cardinal, but is only known to us through a later engraving. Thanks to this, we know that Elisabetta chose to represent Magni as a learned teacher, surrounded by the books of Aristotle and Hippocrates, while he prepares to hold a lesson.

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Sirani’s contemporaries praised her for the “lightness without difficulty, and grace without affectation” of her creations and also for what were thought to be typically male qualities of the time, such as her “readiness”, and the “ease” and confidence of her hand. Recognition of these qualities prove the artist’s exceptional talents, not only as a renowned painter, but in the art of drawing. Elisabetta preferred an ink wash technique, applied with quick, short brushstrokes over preliminary outlines in black chalk. The graphic process she used, defined as that of a “great master,” by Malvasia, allowed her to create effective expressive syntheses, light effects and three-dimensional forms.

The use of etching, featuring a freedom that allowed her to achieve variations on chiaroscuro effects, was a perfect fit for her drawing style. Sirani created her own concept prints, sometimes taken from her paintings. In other cases, she translated subjects invented by her father or other authors, such as the print dedicated to Bonaventura Bisi, and presented at the start of this journey.

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c. 1662

Black chalk on paper

Florence, Uffizi Galleries, Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv 20255 F

Like her drawings made with wash, the drawings made exclusively with black or red chalk, show the “sprezzatura” and incisive invention so characteristic of Elisabetta’s style.

Her compositional study for the Holy Family with Sts Anne and Joachim (the next painting), is light, fluid, and efficiently builds up the scene, describing the interaction between the subjects. This work on paper, traditionally attributed to Domenico Maria Canuti, was recently found to be by Sirani and is displayed here for the first time as an autograph by the artist.

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c. 1662

Oil on canvas

Milan, private collection

The painting is taken from a composition created in 1660 for Bologna jeweller Orazio Cecchi, and now in the Borgogna Museum in Vercelli. The canvas, which is in a private collection, has some iconographic variations compared to this latter work - such as the introduction of Saint Joachim in place of the angel - and a different style. Sirani expertly highlights the gestures of the figures, emphasising the private, playful dimension of the holy conversation depicted. The painting shows a language that is now mature, in which the models of the artist (her father, Guido Reni first and foremost) have been completely assimilated and at the same time, surpassed.

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Black chalk on faded blue paper

Florence, Uffizi Galleries, Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv 12462 F

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1656

Black chalk, brush and wash on paper

Florence, Uffizi Galleries, Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv 20237 F

This small study in octagonal format corresponds to the description of a work painted for Tuscan sculptor, Francesco Agnesini in 1656: “For Agnesino, sculptor, an octagon half figure in which there is a St Agnes”. In this piece, wash creates a dark background and forms the figure using chiaroscuro contrasts.

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Black chalk, brush and wash on paper

Regional Museum Complex of Emilia Romagna - National Art Gallery of Bologna - Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv. 1736

This picture exemplifies Elisabetta’s “macchiato” style, which was so appreciated by her contemporaries. Her technical mastery was explained by Malvasia: “she held the pencil firmly and set her thought down on the plain paper quickly (this was her usual way of drawing, like a great master, unlike many, not even her father, who would not have me lie), then dipping a small brush into ink, she would soon make her clever invention appear, which one could say was without drawn marks, but shaded and illuminated all at the same time”. 

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1664

Black chalk, brush and wash on paper

Venice, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv. 31245

Different variations on the theme of the Virgin and Child, often with a young St John or St Joseph, were Sirani’s most popular and successful subjects. The drawing is a study in preparation for the Madonna of the Rose (location unknown), painted by the artist “for a Florentine Knight” in 1664 and listed in her Note of Paintings.

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Black chalk, brush and wash on paper

Florence, Uffizi Galleries, Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv 4534 S

The technique and style of this study, part of the graphic collection in the Uffizi since the late 19th century as a work by Bolognese Marcantonio Franceschini, appears decidedly similar to the method of Elisabetta Sirani. The attribution to Sirani, originally suggested by a handwritten note on the montage by Catherine Johnston, was echoed and published by Ilaria Rossi and Claudia Cattani in 2013. The drawing, which cannot be linked to any painting by Sirani, depicts one of the subjects dearest to the artist, using quick brushstrokes to create large, monumental forms.

 

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1664

Oil on canvas

Pesaro, Municipal Council of Pesaro, Civic Museums – Palazzo Mosca, inv. 3931

In the 1660s, Sirani’s style opened up to Baroque, becoming characterised by textured, thicker brushstrokes and marked chiaroscuro contrasts, not dissimilar to Guercino.

Painted in 1664 for banker Andrea Cattalani, collector and appreciator of Bolognese art, who commissioned five pieces from Elisabetta, this canvas is a perfect example of the artist’s skills in showing the subjects of the Virgin and Child and the young St John in an intimate portayal of spontaneous affection. The roses, a reference to the cult of the Madonna of the Rosary are here used as a pretext for a squabble between the young Jesus and St John, as described by Sirani in her Note of Paintings: “A B[lessed V[irgin], half figure from life, with the Child and a young St John, in the act of asking O[ur] L[ord] for some of the roses he is holding so tightly to his chest”.

 

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Brush and wash on paper

Florence, Uffizi Galleries, Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv 20242 F

22/38

Black chalk, brush and wash, pen and ink on paper

Florence, Uffizi Galleries, Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv 20243 F

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Etching

Florence, Uffizi Galleries, Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv 20681 st. sc.

Elisabetta turned her hand to etching in her father’s workshop. He was skilled in this technique, which he had learned from Guido Reni, and had set up his own printing workshop.

Early engravings, some taken from drawings by Giovanni Andrea, show close ties to the models of Reni and at the same time, the free, sketched strokes and study of light reveal influences of the etching work of Simone Cantarini, an artist much loved by Sirani.

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Etching

Florence, Uffizi Galleries, Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv 106339 st. sc.

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Etching

Florence, Uffizi Galleries, Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv 17713 st. sc.

This intimate, domestic scene is created in a free, spontaneous style that inflates the drapery on the clothing and outlines a scene that is only apparently balanced: the figure of Joseph and the wall behind him, disturb the whole composition. Elisabetta soaked the sheet in acid several times to create different, more powerful lighting effects. For example, the Child’s face seems to be half covered by light and half in shadow. This quest for dynamism, expressiveness and contrasts to chiaroscuro comes from studying Cantarini’s etchings, which Sirani interpreted according to her own personal style.

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1657

Etching

Regional Museum Complex of Emilia Romagna - National Art Gallery of Bologna - Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv. 2074

27/38

1657

Oil on copper

Regional Museum Complex of Emilia Romagna - National Art Gallery of Bologna, inv. 372

 

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1657

Etching

Florence, Uffizi Galleries, Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv 2985 st. sc.

As she records in her Note of Paintings, Elisabetta created etchings taken from her own paintings: the Mater dolorosa with Symbols of the Passion, copied from an oil on copper painted for Ettore Ghisilieri, and a Saint Eustace (illustrated later) were presentation prints to give to customers who commissioned paintings. These both date back to the beginning of Elisabetta’s career and were conceived to show gratitude to patrons, but above all, as a means of self-promotion for a young artist well aware of her own talent.

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1658

Etching

Regional Museum Complex of Emilia Romagna - National Art Gallery of Bologna - Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv. 23676

The print is a signed copy and counterpart of a canvas commissioned from Elisabetta by Count Paolo Parisetti from Reggio Emilia, which is now part of a private collection.

 

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A group of works dating back to the late 1650s, which depict, with some variations, the subject of the Virgin and Child with the Young St John the Baptist, showing the condivision of the figurative models and some similarities of style from within the family ’s workshop. In the house and studio in Via Urbana, as well as Elisabetta, her younger sisters, Barbara and Anna Maria were also taught to paint, although their artistic profiles do not appear to be so well defined.

Also part of the core of works with similar characteristics is a picture by Giovanni Andrea, created using the typical ink wash technique also used by Elisabetta and attributed both to her and to Barbara in the past. The composition of the drawing is echoed in an etching by Elisabetta. There is a corresponding oil on copper which may be by Elisabetta or Barbara. The same subject can also be found on a canvas, now in Cesena. It is an oval, like the other examples on show, and has been attributed at times to Giovanni Andrea.

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Black chalk, brush and wash on paper

Florence, Uffizi Galleries, Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv 1651 F

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Etching

Florence, Uffizi Galleries, Collection of Prints and Drawings, inv 20684 st. sc.

33/38

Oil on copper

Regional Museum Complex of Emilia Romagna - National Art Gallery of Bologna, inv. 374

 

In the 1660s, Sirani’s style opened up to Baroque, becoming characterised by textured, thicker brushstrokes and marked chiaroscuro contrasts, not dissimilar to Guercino.

Painted in 1664 for banker Andrea Cattalani, collector and appreciator of Bolognese art, who commissioned five pieces from Elisabetta, this canvas is a perfect example of the artist’s skills in showing the subjects of the Virgin and Child and the Young St John in an intimate portayal of spontaneous affection. The roses, a reference to the cult of the Madonna of the Rosary are here used as a pretext for a squabble between the Young Jesus and St John, as described by Sirani in her Note of Paintings: “A B[lessed V[irgin], half figure from life, with the Child and a Young St John, in the act of asking O[ur] L[ord] for some of the roses he is holding so tightly to his chest”.

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Oil on canvas

Cesena, owned by the Cassa di Risparmio di Cesena, Crédit Agricole Italy, inv. 582

Photo Carlo Vannini, Reggio Emilia

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In spite of the fact that Elisabetta Sirani’s name was mainly linked to works on a religious theme, she also specialised in profane subjects. The inventive freedom of her allegorical paintings can be seen in the compositions she dedicates to heroines from literature, ancient history or the Bible, often represented using uncommon iconographies. Her preference for these genres, often not studied by women, shows how singular she was as a painter.

Establishing a custom that was very limited at the time, Elisabetta signed a considerable number of paintings, in order to certify her authorship of the works, promoting her art and establishing her value as an artist. In her works for private customers, she concealed her name in unusual places, such as chair backs, cuffs, buttons or lace trims. These tricks, which required a sharpness of eye and close scrutiny, were conceived for her most sophisticated patrons.

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1664

Oil on canvas

Bologna, Collection of Art and History of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna, inv. M32228

This Portia, signed and dated 1664 on the base of the chair back, was painted for silk merchant Simone Tassi, who commissioned two more pieces from Elisabetta. The artist departed from the usual subject of the woman’s suicide, but instead depicted her while wounding her thigh  to show her husband, Brutus, that she has the strength to share his political choices, or in other words, the conspiracy leading to the murder of Julius Caesar. The episode is narrated in Plutarch’s Lives, a classic text from her father’s library, used by the artist to enrich her humanist education and visual imagination. Sirani wanted to take back the active role played by Portia, whose courage and determination dissociate her from the domestic status reserved to women, as symbolised in the painting by the handmaids in the background.

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1665

Oil on canvas

Bologna, Collection of Art and History of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna, inv. M3085

As well as actual allegories, such as Charity, Justice and Prudence, Elisabetta also painted allegorical portraits, which were very fashionable among noble women of the period. Portrait of Anna Maria Ranuzzi as Charity is a significant example of this type.

The noblewoman is painted with her two children, to which the artist added a third child, resting against the shoulder of Anna Maria, in order to comply with the traditional iconography of Charity as recommended by Cesare Ripa. The artist herself boasted at this invention in her Note of Paintings. The canvas is one of the last works to be completed by Sirani’s death in August 1665, and it is an expression of her fully mature style. The warm colours and confident forms are characteristic of her latter period. The signature of the artist is in minuscule gold letters around the woman’s black cuff, and was most certainly appreciated by Annibale Ranuzzi, the educated commissioner for the painting, and brother of its subject.

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G. Albricci, Donne incisori nei secoli XVI e XVII. Notizie su Properzia de’ Rossi, Annamaria Vaiani, Veronica Fontana, Teresa del Po, Diana Scultori, Elisabetta Sirani, in “I Quaderni del Conoscitore di Stampe”, 19, novembre-dicembre 1973, pp. 20-25

 

F. Baldassari, Per Elisabetta e Giovanni Andrea Sirani, in Scritti per Eugenio. 27 testi per Eugenio Riccòmini, a cura di Marco Riccòmini, Modigliana (FC), Tipografia Fabbri, 2017, pp. 170-176

 

P. Bellini, Elisabetta Sirani, in “Nouvelles de l’Estampe”, 30, 1976,  pp. 7-12

 

D. Benati, Elisabetta Sirani, in Disegni emiliani del Sei-Settecento. Come nascono i dipinti, a cura di D. Benati, Cinisello Balsamo (Milano), Carimonte Banca Spa- Amilcare Pizzi Editore, 1991, pp. 178-183

 

B. Bohn, The antique heroines of Elisabetta Sirani, in “Renaissance Studies”, XVI, 1, 2002, pp. 52-79

 

B. Bohn, Elisabetta Sirani and Drawing Practices in Early Modern Bologna, in “Master Drawings”, XLII, 3, 2004, pp. 207- 236

 

B. Bohn, Female self – portraiture in early modern Bologna, in “Renaissance Studies”, XVIII, 2, 2004, pp. 239-286

 

B. Bohn, The construction of artistic reputation in Seicento Bologna: Guido Reni and the Sirani, in “Renaissance Studies”, 25, 2011, 4, pp. 511-537

 

B. Bohn, Elisabetta Sirani and the Marchese Ferdinando Cospi: Humanism, Natural History, and Art Collecting in Early Modern Bologna, in Renaissance Studies in Honor of Joseph Connors, a cura di M. Israël, L. A. Waldam, 2 voll., Milano, Officina Libraria, 2013, vol. I, pp. 577-582

 

C. Cattani, I. Rossi, Lo scultore Emilio Santarelli (1801-1886) e il gusto per i bolognesi del Settecento, in Crocevia e capitale della migrazione artistica, a cura di S. Frommel, Bologna, Bononia University Press, pp. 413-426

 

Elisabetta Sirani “pittrice eroina” 1638-1665, a cura di J. Bentini, V. Fortunati, catalogo della mostra (Bologna, Museo Civico Archeologico, 2004 –  2005), Bologna, Editrice Compositori, 2004

 

A. Emiliani, Giovanni Andrea ed Elisabetta Sirani, in Maestri della pittura del Seicento emiliano, catalogo della mostra (Bologna, Palazzo dell'Archiginnasio, 1959) a cura di F. Arcangeli, C. Gnudi, Bologna, Alfa, 1959, pp. 140-145

 

M. Faietti, I grandi disegni della Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, Milano, Silvana Editoriale, 2002

 

F. Frisoni, La vera Sirani, in “Paragone”, XXIX, 335, 1978, pp. 3-18

 

F. Frisoni, Elisabetta Sirani, in La scuola di Guido Reni, a cura di E. Negro, M. Pirondini, Modena, Artioli Editore, 1992, pp. 365-381

 

G. Gaeta Bertelà, Catalogo generale della raccolta di stampe antiche della Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, Gabinetto delle Stampe. II. Incisori bolognesi ed emiliani del sec. XVII, Bologna, Editrice Compositori, 1973

 

E. L. Goldberg, Patterns in Late Medici Patronage, Princeton, New Jersey, 1983, in particolare pp. 34-53, 262-272

 

Italian Etchers of the Renaissance and Baroque, catalogo della mostra (Boston, Museum of Fine Arts; The Cleveland Museum of Art; Washington, National gallery of Art, 1989) a cura di S. Welsh Reed, R. Wallace, Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, 1989, in particolare pp. 131-132

 

Italian Women Artists from Renaissance to Baroque, catalogo della mostra (Washington, National Museum of Women in the Arts, 2007) a cura di V. Fortunati, J. Pomeroy, C. Strinati, Milano, Skira, 2007

 

C. Loisel, Musée du Louvre. Département des Arts graphiques. Inventaire général des dessins italiens. Tome X. Dessins bolonais du XVIIe siècle, tome II, Paris-Milano, Musée du Louvre-Officina Libraria, 2013, in particolare pp. 508-523

 

C. C. Malvasia, Felsina Pittrice. Vite de pittori bolognesi, Bologna, Per l'Erede di Domenico Barbieri, 1678

 

A. Mazza, La Galleria dei dipinti antichi della Cassa di Risparmio di Cesena, Milano, Electa, 2001, pp. 306-311

 

A. Modesti, Elisabetta Sirani, in Dictionary of Women Artists, a cura di D. Gaze, tomo II, London, Fitzroy Dearborne, 1997, pp. 1272-1275

 

A. Modesti, The Making of a Cultural Heroine. Elisabetta Sirani ‘Pittrice Celebrissima’ di Bologna (1638-1665), in Per l’Arte. Da Venezia all’Europa. Studi in onore di Giuseppe Maria Pilo, a cura di M. Piantoni, L. De Rossi, Monfalcone- Gorizia, Edizioni della Laguna, 2001, II, pp. 399-404

 

A. Modesti, Alcune riflessioni sulle opere grafiche della pittrice Elisabetta Sirani nelle raccolte dell’Archiginnasio, in “L’Archiginnasio”, XCVI, 2001, 2003 pp. 151-215

 

A. Modesti, Elisabetta Sirani: una virtuosa del Seicento bolognese, Bologna, Editrice Compositori, 2004

 

A. Modesti, “A casa con i Sirani”: A successful Family Business and Household in Early Modern Bologna, in The early modern Italian Domestic interior, 1400-1700. Obejcts, Spaces, Domesticities, a cura di E. J. Campbell, S. R. Miller, E. Carroll Consavari, Burlington, Ashgate, 2013, pp. 47-64

 

A. Modesti, Elisabetta Sirani “Virtuosa”: women’s cultural production in early modern Bologna, Tunhout, Brepols, 2014

 

Mostra di disegni bolognesi dal XVI al XVIII secolo, catalogo della mostra (Firenze, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe degli Uffizi, 1973) a cura di C. Johnston, Firenze, Leo S. Olschki, 1973

 

Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna. Catalogo generale. 3. Guido Reni e il Seicento, a cura di J. Bentini et al., Venezia, Marsilio, 2008, in particolare pp. 373-375, 387-389, 437-449

 

r'accolte }. Il Barocco emiliano. Arte delle Fondazioni on-line, catalogo della mostra (Bologna, sede della Fondazione del Monte di Bologna e Ravenna, 2012-2013) a cura di A. Mazza, Roma, 2012

 

M. Riccòmini, Elisabetta Sirani a Firenze, in Studi di storia dell'arte in onore di Fabrizio Lemme, a cura di F. Baldassari, A. Agresti, Roma-Foligno, Egraphiae -Cartograf, 2017, p. 185

 

Il segno dell'arte. Disegni di figura nella collezione Certani alla Fondazione Giorgio Cini (1500-1750), catalogo della mostra (Bologna, Casa saraceni, 2007) a cura di V. Mancini, G. Pavanello, Bologna, Bononia University Press, 2007, in particolare pp. 126-127, n. 28

 

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A. Sutherland Harris, Artemisia Gentileschi and Elisabetta Sirani: Rivals or Strangers?, in “Woman's Art Journal”, XXXI, 1, 2010, pp. 3-12