Nicolosia Mantegna (née Bellini)
Nicolosia was born into the leading dynasty of Venetian painters – daughter of Jacopo Bellini and sister to Giovanni and Gentile Bellini. She married the Venetian artist Andrea Mantegna – a strategic move on her father's part, as it brought the talented Mantegna, a potential rival, into the Bellini firm. Nicolosia would most likely have been an important point of connection and communication between the two families.
The creative links between Mantegna's 'The Agony in the Garden' and Giovanni Bellini's painting of the same subject is evidence of the close relationship between the brothers in law.
Marietta Robusti ('La Tintoretta')
Marietta was the daughter of the leading 16th-century artist Jacopo Tintoretto, whose workshop was one of the most important in Venice. Marietta, along with her brothers, had active roles as assistants in their father's workshop. Marietta would even dress in masculine clothing so could accompany her father to the studio in disguise.
She was also known for being a precociously talented portrait painter, admired by royalty, and invited to imperial courts, although she remained in Venice and married a local jeweller. Marietta died young, likely in her 30s, and sadly only one known work by her remains today.
Agnes Dürer (née Frey)
Agnes was the wife of the leading German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer. She was the daughter of an artisan, Hans Frey, and brought up to be an educated and literate woman.
Dürer made many portraits and studies of Agnes during the course of their marriage. She was not just a model, however. Along with Dürer's mother Barbara, Agnes had a pivotal role in the operations of Dürer's workshop, managing it while he was away travelling, and acting as a saleswoman, representing his work at print fairs. She continued this work after Dürer's death.
Margaret van Eyck
Margaret was the wife of the Early Netherlandish master, Jan van Eyck. When van Eyck died in 1441, Margaret was left a widow with several children, but she showed an entrepreneurial spirit, successfully applying to the Duke of Burgundy to receive half of her husband's annual pension, and taking on the management of his workshop for at least 10 years after his death.
A portrait of Margaret by her husband, painted when she was 33, survives, and is now in the Groeninge Museum, Bruges.
Read about the restoration of the portrait, which took place at the National Gallery.
