New Children's Book on Renaissance Painter Lavinia Fontana

A new illustrated children's book titled 'I ritratti di Lavinia' (Lavinia's Portraits) aims to introduce young readers to the life and work of Lavinia Fontana, a pioneering Renaissance painter from Bologna. Published by Corraini, the book is written by Emanuele Lugli, an art history professor at Stanford University and a specialist on Fontana, with illustrations by Chiara Palillo that blend sketch-like drawings with reproductions of Fontana's original works. The story follows an eight-year-old girl named Camilla who, perplexed by her older sister's decision to have her portrait painted before her wedding, meets Fontana and learns about the deeper meaning of portraits—as a way to remember loved ones and feel close to those who are gone. The book references Fontana's painting 'La famiglia Gozzadini,' housed at the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna. This publication is part of a broader rediscovery of Fontana, who, along with contemporaries like Sofonisba Anguissola and Fede Galizia, was long considered a minor artist but is now being reevaluated. A recent retrospective at the Museo del Prado in Madrid highlighted her achievements. 'I ritratti di Lavinia' will be available from March 24 and will be presented on March 30 at 11 AM at Palazzo Pepoli in Bologna, with the authors present.