The 16th Century artist Lavinia Fontana is a fantastic example of the Sun conjunct Mercury in Virgo. Her career was a litany of ‘firsts.’ She was the first professional female artist, the first woman to paint nudes and the first to have a house-husband.
She had “unusually warm” relationships with her female clients, which is probably Renaissance-speak for gay. Nonetheless, Lavinia had 11 children while also becoming one of the most prolific artists of her era.
Work ethic – along with analytical genius – is one of the defining characteristics of being Virgo. Even Virgo Chaos Addicts such as Charlie Sheen or Cat Marnell work super-hard. But to be a a Virgo with Sun conjunct Mercury – the Virgo ruler? Think supreme wit and singular focus.
To illustrate, here is the Sun-Mercury delineation from my Astral DNA report.
Sun conjunction Mercury
Words, information, and data rule your world. You are doubtless stunningly well-informed, articulate, and fast. People can deem you heartless because you replace traditional expressions of sentiment with rapid-flow genius parsing of the data. The Sun-Mercury conjunction is the signature aspect of highly original artists, writers, and performers, particularly those who essentially create their own genre.
You’re guided, not only an ideas person but a magician-like character who can summon inspo straight from the aether. You share this with the comic book writer Grant Morrison, Discworld’s Terry Pratchett, graphic designer Chip Kidd, poet Sandra Cisneros, historian Mary Beard, the composer (Interstellar, Inception), Hans Zimmer, and Liane Moriarty (Big Little Lies).
Image: Lavinia Fontana – Self-Portrait
Bet she had fabulous management skills.
Astounding woman and yet I fail (my fault) to see the Virgoan vibe.
The fist in many things sound very much a First House persona. I’d say Aries but too many kids and the artistic vibe cuts out that sign.
And her anticipating trends (working women) and unconventional vibe sounds more like an Aquarius.
In my experience – so just my 2 cents here – Virgo peeps like to blend in the crowd (a neat and clean and selected crowd, but still a crowd) and most certainly don’t like to stand out and be “prime movers”.
Way to go!!!! She’s an inspiration! Give us more more more (wonderful, amazing women of history)!
Gotta hope she had a tattoo sumplace immodest.
With that piercing gaze I immediately thought Scorpio rising..
Eleven kids, I’d make my husband a housepet as well. Plus the kids. Maybe that’s how she made her money. Send the offspring out on merchant business each morning? Sorry. Cap moon does a cost-benefit analysis on all aspects of family life, lol.
Would be cool if she had patronage though. Some obscure French royalty with a major crush or something 🙂 “Just paint whatever you want, Madame”
the wiki sort of implies her husbands family and hers were well off, she had very wealthy patrons who paid a lot for her paintings.
The interesting thing there also was that she was only outlived by 3 children. Between them serving her and the house hubby she seemed maybe a little bit self centered ? Driven ? Ummmm
As Kath Day Night would say I’m not casting nasturtiums. I just know people like this.
thank you for this floral reminder 😀
Hmm, ok, not casting nasturtiums, got it… i get you’re generally an agenda-less aries ,
what do you mean, ‘know people like this”? you mean, successful, independent thinking, recognition outside the home for their own work?. I just read the wiki article.
She sounds as successful as any male equivalent, that’s it. despite my bitchy cynicism about the children thing, I’m sticking with the description of her as a successful artist.
There’s no reference to her kids serving her although I think everyone I know from an enormous family was inevitably allocated family duties according to their age…a high infant and general mortality rate was the go back then – probably a better idea to blame stuff like typhoid, tuberculosis, maternal & infant mortality, wars, tetanus, blood poisoning, mortally injured, the stuff we tend not to die from today.
ya know.
It’s just an impression I get. No basis. Im familiar with a certain type of successful person from wealthy families, they suck it all up and serve no one but themselves. Children parents siblings partners are there to serve their magnificence. As I say, not sure why I get this impression but the lineage seems to stop with her. No one else survived 😉
I maintain that your perception of a plutonic factor affecting her kids (3/11) etc is statistically more likely to be straight-up population biology rather than demon-woman not being sweet and kind (you do realise you’re triggering my feminist sensibilities here). we never ever talk about male renaissance artists like this. (because we don’t bother asking if they have a spouse or a family) Having said that I do know the kind of person you’re talking about, m or f, where their dominance over the family dynamics leaves everyone else running for cover to the other side of the world, or at the end of withered family ties and buckled under the persona of a parent/etc who comes to only see others as serfs.
i’m feeling (extra) argumentative today and putting it down to the sun and moon applying to natal pluto and eris respectively. I wish the full moon was tonight and not 30 hours away argh. *breathe breathe*
Don’t need to explain yourself Pi. You have every right to respond the way you feel. You didn’t come across as argumentative, just making valid points.
I really needed a history lesson like this today, timing impeccable as always, Mystic. Nothing like a fierce woman to inspire you when are in the doldrums. I had never heard of her either, and I had heard of a couple of early female artists like Mary Beele and Gentileschi etc. Nice to meet you Lavinia Fontana, you are still remembered all of these centuries later, you must have been a truly great woman.
well put! And yes i am always revived by thinking of how these women did it in such challenging times! I think there is a post on here re Artemesia Gentileschi somewhere too!
Bad ass…where is her Lilith I wonder
Holy Jesus
I bet she gave amazing life-hacks! People probably wanted to model for her, as, while painting she’d share stain removal tricks and recipies for hair masques.
I like her use of the husband.
Even by today’s standards our Lavinia is in an uber league. Birthing eleven kids, full time work. Sheesh.