Chiara Varotari

1584–1663

Active in: Italy

Biography

Born in Padua in 1584, Chiara Varotari was the daughter of a painter, Dario Varotari, called the Elder (1539–1596). Her brother, Alessandro Varotari, called Il Padovanino (1588–1649) was also a celebrated artist and the siblings worked closely together. In 1596, her father died and Varotari moved to Venice with her brother, where they founded a teaching studio. Her students included Caterina Tarabotti (b. 1615) and Lucia Scaligeri (1637–1700), among others. Varotari became well-known for her portraits and for the lavish attention she paid to her sitter’s clothing and jewelry. Little else is known about her life and career; she died in Venice in 1663.

Selected Works

A full-length portrait of a boy wearing an elaborate costume that includes embroidered blue pantaloons with red stockings. He has lace on his collar and at his sleeves. He has long, curly hair past his shoulders. The background is dark and neutral, and the boy looks off to the left side of the canvas.

Chiara Varotari, Portrait of a Boy, ca. 1640s. Oil on canvas, 122 x 70 cm. Museo Civico, Padua.

A full-length portrait of a girl wearing a blue dress with a sheer detail at the bust and lace at her sleeves. She wears a pearl necklace and has her curly brown hair pulled back. She holds a closed fan in her right hand. The background behind her is dark and neutral.

Chiara Varotari, Portrait of a Young Girl, ca. 1640s. Oil on canvas, 125 x 69 cm. Museo Civico, Padua.

A full-length portrait of a young woman in an extraordinarily elaborate light gray gown with gold embellishments and jewels, as well as pink lace trim and an orange bow. She has a very high, oversized collar and a matching headpiece. She rests one hand on a column and looks directly at the view with a neutral, almost bored expression.

Chiara Varotari, Portrait of a Lady, ca. 1630s. Oil on canvas, 205 x 120 cm. Museo Civico, Padua.

A half-length portrait of a woman dressing black, against a dark background. She has a small white lace collar and some strands of gold cord across her chest, fixed in place with a dark red bow. Her hair is pulled back, and she looks at the viewer with a neutral expression.

Chiara Varotari, Portrait of a Lady, n.d. Oil on canvas, 114 x 97 cm. Sinebrychoff Art Museum, Finnish National Gallery.

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Selected works

Circle

Daughter of
Dario Varotari, called the Elder (1539–1596)

Sister of
Alessandro Varotari, called Il Padovanino (1588–1649)

Aunt of
Dario Varotari the Younger (active 1660)

Teacher of
Caterina Tarabotti (b. 1615)

Teacher of
Lucia Scaligeri (1637–1700)

Bibliography

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Botter, Mario. La villa Capodilista di Dario Varotari a Montecchia. Treviso: Libreria editrice Canova, 1967.

Donzelli, Carlo and Giuseppe Maria Pilo. I Pittori del Seicento Veneto. Florence: Sandron, 1967.

Ellet, Elizabeth Fries. Women Artists in All Ages and Countries. London: Bentley, 1859.

Ericani, Giuliana. “Chiara Varotari.” In Le tele svelate: Antologia di pittrici venete dal Cinquecento al Novecento, edited by Caterina Limentani Virdis, 63-75. Mirano: Eidos, 1996.

Fantelli, Pier Luigi. “Chiara Varotari (sorella del Padovanino) e I suoi dipinti al Museo Civico.” Padova e la sua Provincia 1(1973): 1-7.

Fortunati, Vera, Jordano Pomeroy, and Claudio Strinati, eds. Italian Women Artists from Renaissance to Baroque. Washington DC: National Museum of Women in the Arts, 2009.

Fossaluzza, G. In Bollettino del Museo Civico di Padova 46 (1994): 123-54.

Greer, Germaine. The Obstacle Race: The Fortunes of Women Painters and Their Work. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1979.

Lanzi, Luigi. Soria pittorica della Italia: dal risorgimento delle belle arti fin presso al fine del 18. Secolo. Florence: Leonardo Marchini, 1834.

Moschetti, Andrea. Il Museo Civico di Padova: cenni storici e illustrativi. Padua: Soc. Tip., 1938.

Pallucchini, Rodolfo. La pittura veneziana del Seicento. Venice: Alfieri, 1981.

Pellegrini, Franca. In La donna nella pittura italiana del Seicento e Settecento. Il genio e la grazia, edited by Alberto Cottino. Turin: Umberto Allemandi & C., 2003.

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Scifoni, Felice, ed. Dizionario biografico universal contenente le notizie più importani sulla vita e sulla opera degli uomini celebri, […]. Florence: David Passigli, 1840-49.