
Portrait of Bianca degli Utili Maselli surrounded by six of her children (c.1605)
Lavinia Fontana (Italian, 1552-1614)
Acquired by The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco

Lavinia Fontana (1554-1614)
Portrait of Bianca degli Utili Maselli surrounded by six of her children
c. 1605
Oil on canvas
99.06 x 135.255 cm (39 x 53 1/4 in)
Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco: Margaret and Will Hearst, Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund, John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn, Dagmar Dolby, and The Roscoe and Margaret Oakes Endowment Income Fund in celebration of the Legion of Honor centennial. 2024.7
Portrait of Bianca degli Utili Maselli surrounded by six of her children is a rare and poignant glimpse into the life of a Roman noblewoman and her family in the early 1600s. Painted by Lavinia Fontana, one of the most successful female artists of the Italian Renaissance, the portrait captures both the privilege and tragedy of its time.
Fontana was a trailblazer in her field, breaking barriers as one of the first women to achieve success outside a court or convent. A skilled portraitist and altarpiece painter, she was also one of the first women accepted into the prestigious Accademia di San Luca in Rome. Trained by her father, Prospero Fontana, she defied conventions with a career that flourished alongside a family of 11 children - only three of whom survived her.
In this work, Fontana portrays Bianca degli Utili Maselli surrounded by her six surviving children, likely the only ones still living at the time. The youngest clutches both her mother’s finger and the paw of a small dog, a symbol of loyalty. Fontana’s attention to detail shines in the depiction of luxurious fabrics, intricate lace, and symbolic accessories like a pen, a songbird, and a cup of figs, which reflect the sitters’ virtues.
Related articles:
A Lavinia Fontana Portrait Enters a Museum Collection After 400 Years in Private Hands.
Available at https://news.artnet.com/art-world/legion-of-honor-lavinia-fontana-acquisition-2478687.