Page:Women in the Fine Arts From the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentiet.djvu/117

56 this expression and yet retained all the firm character of the countenance. It is remarkable that an artist who paints male heads with such a vigorous character should also give to flowers softness, transparency, and grace. Nothing can be more lovely than Miss Boott's flower studies. She has some delicious poppies among wheat, lilies, thistles. She gets a transparency into these works that is not facile in oil. A bunch of roses in a vase was as tender and round and soft-colored as in nature. Among all the many studios of Rome I do not know a more attractive one than Miss Boott's."

Bortolan, Rosa. Born at Treviso. She was placed in the Academy at Venice by her family, where she had the benefit of such masters as Grigoletti, Lipparini, Schiavoni, and Zandomeneghi. She early showed much originality, and after making thorough preliminary studies she began to follow her own ideas. She was of a mystical and contemplative turn of mind, and a great proportion of her work has been of a religious nature. Her pictures began to attract attention about 1847, and she had many commissions for altar-pieces and similar work. The church of Valdobbiadene, at Venice, contains "San Venanziano Fortunatus, Bishop." "Saint Louis " was painted as a commission of Brandolin da Pieve; "Comte Justinian Replying to Bonaparte in Treviso" was a subscription picture presented to Signor Zoccoletto. Portraits of the Countess Canossa-Portalupi and her son, of Luigia Codemo, and of Luigi Giacomelli are thought to possess great merit; while those of Dr. Pasquali (in the Picture Gallery at Treviso) and Michelangelo Codemo have been