Iaia

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Woodcut illustration showing Marcia Varronis (or Iaia von Kyzikos) from the German translation by Heinrich Steinhöwel by Giovanni Boccaccios De mulieribus claris , printed by Johannes Zainer in Ulm around 1474

Iaia from Kyzikos , active around 100 BC BC, was a Greek painter.

She was one of the six painters mentioned by Pliny in his Naturalis historia 35, 148 who were in high regard. It is assumed that the name Iaia has not been passed down correctly and could have been Laia or Maia , but this cannot be proven due to a lack of other sources.

Iaia is said to have mastered both the brush and the ivory pen and painted extremely quickly. Nevertheless, her works must have been extraordinary, because it is said that she could and got much higher fees than the most respected artists of the time. She is said to have mainly portrayed women. A “self-portrait in front of a mirror” and the “portrait of an old woman” are documented.

literature

personal data
SURNAME Iaia
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Laia (other spelling possible); Maia (other possible spelling)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Greek painter
DATE OF BIRTH 2nd century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 1st century BC Chr.