Iaia

A celebrated female Greek painter from Cyzicus, renowned for her portraiture of women.

Chronology: -100 – Present

Origins & Early Life

Iaia of Cyzicus (Greek: Ιαία της Κυζίκου), sometimes (incorrectly) called Lala or Lalla, or rendered as Laia or Maia, was a Greek painter born in Cyzicus, Roman Empire, and relatively exceptional for being a woman artist and painting women's portraits. She was alive during the time of Marcus Terentius Varro (116–27 BC). In De Mulieribus Claris, his book of women's biographies, Boccaccio refers to her as "Marcia," possibly confusing her with the Vestal Virgin of that name. According to Pliny the Elder: "No one had a quicker hand than she in painting." Most of her paintings are said to have been of women.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Pliny attributes to Iaia a large panel painting of an old woman and a self-portrait. She was said to have worked faster and painted better than her male competitors, Sopolis and Dionysius, which enabled her to earn more than them. == Life == Born in Cyzicus, Iaia was a famous painter and ivory carver. She probably came to Rome to meet the demand for art there in the late Roman Republic. Iaia remained unmarried all her life.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

== Influence on culture == Iaia is one of several female artists of antiquity mentioned in Pliny the Elder's Natural History (XL.147–148), the others being Timarete...

Source: Wikipedia