Violante Beatrice Siries

Upon returning to Florence she married Giuseppe Cerroti, about whom nothing is known, and continued her artistic studies under Francesco Conti.

The field of work recorded is painting. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are portrait. Places of work recorded in the authority are Florence, Paris and Rome. Work by Violante Beatrice Siries is recorded in the collections of Royal Museums Greenwich, Uffizi Gallery and Musée de l'Évêché de Limoges.

• Name — Violante Beatrice Siries • Born — 26 January 1709 • Birthplace — Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany • Died — 20 April 1783 • Place of death — Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany • Field — Painting • Patrons — Medici family • Spouse — Giuseppe Cerroti

Violante was the daughter of Louis Siries, a French man who became the director of the Opificio delle pietre dure (workshop of precious stones). Violante was talented in several genres, but established herself as a portraitist. She succeeded in gaining the patronage of the Medici family, notably including Gian Gastone de' Medici. After the death of Giovanna Fratellini in 1731, she also received support from the Medici's financial partners, the Gondi family. Violante returned to Florence in 1732 and was accepted into the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno. She often travelled to Rome and Vienna to execute commissions. Her most ambitious work was a fourteen figure family group of the Emperor Charles VI, the father of Maria Theresa of Austria (1735). Three of her self-portraits are preserved in the Uffizi Gallery. Violante was the first female artist given permission by the Uffizi to copy the works of old masters. Violante's depiction of Saint Francis of Assisi (1765) was in the ex-convent of Cappuccini of Montevarchi, and now can be found in Museo dei Cappuccini. The Virgin Mary Presenting the Baby Jesus to Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi (1767) was damaged in the 1966 flood of the Arno and later restored from 2015-2016 by Florence based American organization Advancing Women Artists Foundation. This work is a copy a work by Luca Giordano. In later life she became a respected teacher. Her pupils included Anna Bacherini Piattoli and Maria Cosway. She is one of the artists whose works are being restored by the Advancing Women Artists Foundation. She was also mentioned in Jane Fortune's book Invisible Women: Forgotten Artists of Florence, which discusses female Florentine artists. Among her paintings: • The Sleeping Seamstress (leaning on her sewing box). • Saint Francis of Assisi • Young Ladies in a Garden Landscape • Captain Edward Hughes • The Virgin Mary Presenting the Baby Jesus to Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi. • Double portrait of Peter Leopold of Habsburg and Maria Luisa of Spain