Virtuosa

The rise in appreciation of talent and skills led to the term virtuoso. Virtuosos were men, like Michelangelo or Da Vinci, who were talented in many areas such as arts, science, philosophy, and others. Women were not expected to excel in so many areas that they became a virtuosa. However, a few women did earn the title from their peers.

Defining the term virtuosa is difficult. It could mean that women were so talented at art that they gained the respect of society and their male counterparts. Modern historians believe that this is not likely. It would have been extremely difficult for a male dominated society to reconcile a female artist with what was expected of women. A woman should be a wife and mother, not make a living as an artist. Some art historians have concluded that for Renaissance men to reconcile a woman as a virtuosa it meant she was still a woman but she had the abilities of a man.