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ELISABETTA SIRANI Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist. Etching, circa 1650. 275x221 mm; 10 7/8x8 3/4 inches. Second state (of 2). With thread margins or trimmed on the plate mark, the narrow border line preserved all around. A superb impression of this very scarce etching, with strong contrasts and with the vertical wiping scratches distinct. Sirani (1638-1665) was an Italian Baroque painter-printmaker, born and trained in Bologna. Her father, Giovanni Andrea Sirani, was a pupil of Guido Reni and an art trader. Sirani is important for the significant body of work she created over such a short-lived career (more than 200 paintings, 15 etchings and hundreds of drawings) as well as her success as an artist at a time when it was generally frowned on as a profession for women. According to a recent study, "Her patrons ranged from cardinals to kings, princes, dukes, merchants and academics from Bologna and across Europe. Sirani became a celebrity in her city as visitors, such as diplomats, political leaders and noblemen, would come to her studio to watch her work," (Modesti, Elisabetta Sirani: una virtuosa del Seicento bolognese, Bologna, 2004, Bartsch 8; Bertelà/Ferrara 923.