Salon des Nobles-LALA DE CYZIQUE CULTIVANT LA PEINTURE

Iaia of Cyzicus ( el, Ιαία της Κυζίκου), sometimes (incorrectly) called Lala or Lalla, or rendered as Laia or Maia, was a Roman painter, born in Greece, and relatively exceptional for being a woman artist. She was alive during the time of

Marcus Terentius Varro Marcus Terentius Varro (; 116–27 BC) was a Roman polymath and a prolific author. He is regarded as ancient Rome's greatest scholar, and was described by Petrarch as "the third great light of Rome" (after Vergil and Cicero). He is sometimes calle ...

(116–27 BC). In ''

De Mulieribus Claris ''De Mulieribus Claris'' or ''De Claris Mulieribus'' (Latin for "Concerning Famous Women") is a collection of biographies of historical and mythological women by the Florentine author Giovanni Boccaccio, composed in Latin prose in 1361–1362. ...

'', his book of women's biographies,

Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio (, , ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was some ...

refers to her as "Marcia", possibly confusing her with the

Vestal Virgin In ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins or Vestals ( la, Vestālēs, singular ) were priestesses of Vesta, virgin goddess of Rome's sacred hearth and its flame. The Vestals were unlike any other public priesthood. They were chosen before puberty ...

of that name. Most of her paintings are said to have been of women. Pliny attributes to her a large panel painting of an old woman and a self-portrait. She was said to have worked faster and painted better than her male competitors, Sopolis and Dionysius, which enabled her to earn more than them.

Life

Born in

Cyzicus Cyzicus (; grc, Κύζικος ''Kúzikos''; ota, آیدینجق, ''Aydıncıḳ'') was an ancient Greek town in Mysia in Anatolia in the current Balıkesir Province of Turkey. It was located on the shoreward side of the present Kapıdağ Peni ...

, Iaia was a famous painter and ivory carver. She probably came to Rome to meet the demand for art there in the late

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...

. Iaia remained unmarried all her life.

Influence on culture

Iaia is one of several female artists of antiquity mentioned in

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ' ...

's '' Natural History'' (XL.147–148). Four others are

Timarete Timarete ( el, Τιμαρέτη) (or Thamyris, Tamaris, Thamar; 5th century BC), was an ancient Greek painter. She was the daughter of the painter Micon the Younger of Athens. According to Pliny the Elder, she "scorned the duties of women and p ...

Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United Stat ...

Aristarete Aristarete (Greek: Ἀ''ρισταρέτη'') (or Aristareté, Aristareta) was an ancient Greek painter. Little is known about her, including where and when she lived. Although none of her works are known to be extant, Pliny the Elder's '' Natur ...

, and Olympias. Pliny also possibly lists a fifth, Calypso, though this interpretation is disputed; most scholars accept an alternative reading in which Calypso is the subject of a painting by Irene. Iaia (as "Marcia") is one of three women artists mentioned in

's ''

De mulieribus claris ''De Mulieribus Claris'' or ''De Claris Mulieribus'' (Latin for "Concerning Famous Women") is a collection of biographies of historical and mythological women by the Florentine author Giovanni Boccaccio, composed in Latin prose in 1361–1362. ...

''. The character of Julie Lambert, protagonist of the novel ''Shining Harmony'' (2017), and of the poetic anthology ''Living and Not Living'' (2018), both by Italian writer Sabrina Gatti, was inspired by Iaia. In the novel, Julie, a talented painter, sees in Iaia the artist to emulate, and dedicates to her a painting where she portrays the Roman painter, intent on painting in her atelier; while in "Living and not living", the young woman is completely identified with Iaia. Iaia (as Lalla) is one of the names featured on Judy Chicago's '' Heritage Floor''.

Notes

References

* Helen Gardner, Fred S. Kleiner, Christin J. Mamiya, ''

Gardner's Art Through the Ages ''Gardner's Art Through the Ages'' is an American textbook on the history of art, with the 2004 edition by Fred S. Kleiner and Christin J. Mamiya. The 2001 edition was awarded both a McGuffey award for longevity and the "Texty" Award for curren ...

'', Thomas Wadsworth, 2004; . *

, ''Natural History'', 35.40,147.L * Virginia Brown's translation of Giovanni Boccaccio's ''Famous Women'', pp 135 – 137; Harvard University Press, 2001; * Harris, Anne Sutherland and

Linda Nochlin Linda Nochlin (''née'' Weinberg; January 30, 1931 – October 29, 2017) was an American art historian, Lila Acheson Wallace Professor Emerita of Modern Art at New York University Institute of Fine Arts, and writer. As a prominent feminist art ...

, ''Women Artists: 1550-1950'', Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Knopf, New York, 1976, pg. 23. {{DEFAULTSORT:Iaia 1st-century BC Greek people Ancient women artists Ancient Roman painters Year of death unknown 1st-century BC Roman women 1st-century BC Romans 1st-century BC painters People from Cyzicus