Women Who Ruled: Queens, Goddesses, Amazons in Renaissance and Baroque Art

The period between 1500 and 1650 was an exceptional time in history in that many European states and kingdoms were ruled by women. From Elizabeth I to Catherine de Medici, and from Anne of Austria to Mary, Queen of Scots, this phenomenon of female rule gave new energy to the long-standing controversy about the ability of women to govern, and reflected larger issues regarding the role of women in society.

Women Who Ruled is a fascinating exploration of how female power was visualized and constructed in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Examining over 90 paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, and decorative-arts pieces, the book provides a social, political, historical, mythological, and erotic context for (mainly) men's constructions of women's identities, and offers a striking parallel with today's mass-media manipulation of the female image, especially as women are increasingly taking the reins of power.

Examining female archetypes such as The Virgin, Wives and Mothers, Seductresses, The Warrior Woman, The Heroine, and The Goddess, author Annette Dixon deconstructs famous works such as Nicholas Hilliard's Elizabeth I: The "Hardwick" Portrait, Rubens's Joan of Arc, and Artemisia Gentileschi's Lot and his Daughters to show how these images created and reflected the age's idealization of women.

At a time when courses on gender studies and cultural theory are at their most popular, Women Who Ruled is a timely, intelligent, and stunningly illustrated book that offers a significant contribution to both women's studies and art history.

Annette Dixon is Curator of Western Art at the University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, MI.