Appel à contribution : « V Art, Power, and Gender Conference. Artists and Female Patrons in Renaissance Europe », Murcie, Universidad de Murcia, 28-29 avril 2022, date limite le 15 avril 2022

The V Art, Power, and Gender Conference is one of the activities organized by the research project MEFER [Portrait Medals and Female Power in Renaissance Europe (I): The Women in the Spanish Monarchy]. The proposed topic for this edition is “Artists and Female Patrons in Renaissance Europe”.

Art History research has traditionally associated renowned artists’ names with male figures that, as kings, noblemen, diplomats, or prelates of the church, promoted their artistic careers commissioning works of art and disseminating them in different European courts. However, this narrative has deliberately ignored the role women played in this equation. In this sense, we find a remarkable example in one of the most acclaimed artists in the Modern Age: Titian. It is noteworthy that the name and prestige associated with the Venetian painter is systematically linked to monarchs like Charles V or Philip II. Despite this, it was Queen Mary of Hungary who, in less than a decade since she met the artist in the Diet of Augsburg, became the main collector of his artwork. The Governess of the Netherlands’ collection of his works surpassed not only Titian’s Italian patrons but also her brother Charles V and her nephew Philip II.

As recent research has proven, artistic historiography has paid little attention to the relationship established between artists and female patrons in the Modern Age. Previous studies have ad- dressed isolated examples that do not allow to articulate a discourse that shows the implication and participation of Renaissance women in the production of artworks and the promotion of the careers of the main artists of this period. The main goal of these Jornadas is to propose a joint study of the efforts these women carried out in both fields-production and promotion of works of art and artists-, in the sixteenth century. This global analysis will allow to rewrite the current androcentric discourse that has situated the male figure as the main promoter of the artistic culture in the Modern Age, highlighting the key role that women linked to power devel- oped in the sphere of artistic patronage.