Born: Unknown, Italy
Died: 1690
Country most active: Italy
Also known as: NA
The following is republished from the National Gallery of Art (US). This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
We don’t know much about Caterina Angela Pierozzi. She lived in Florence, Italy, and we think her uncle trained her in painting from an early age. According to contemporary biographies she was married to another painter, Michelangelo Corsi.
We do know that she was successful—Pierozzi was accepted into the esteemed Accademia di San Luca in 1684. Eve Straussman-Pflanzer, our curator and head of Italian and Spanish Paintings, recently uncovered documents that show that Pierozzi had an important patron, the Medici family. The documents reveal that Pierozzi worked for the Medici Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Vittoria della Rovere.
Yet we only know of one work by Pierozzi—and it recently became part of our collection! The Annunciation is a tiny painting, only 5¼ by 7 inches. It is a close-up of the archangel Gabriel (on the left) giving the Virgin Mary a message from God: that she will bear his son, Jesus. The composition of this Annunciation was inspired by a miraculous fresco in Florence’s Basilica della Santissima Annunziata. Legend has it that the fresco was magically completed while the monk painting it was asleep. The Medici family became custodians of the fresco and commissioned many copies like this one.
There is no doubt that the work is by Pierozzi. You can see her name and date along the bottom of a gold border of the scene. Another clue? The Medici court was known to be interested in plants and flowers. Pink, lavender, and blue flowers fill the intricately painted border.