SOLD - Julie d’Aubigny - La Maupin 1670 - 1707 Painting

Oil & mixed media on gesso board Julie d’Aubigny (1670/1673–1707), better known as Mademoiselle Maupin or La Maupin, was a 17th century swords woman and opera singer. Her tumultuous career and flamboyant life were the subject of gossip and colourful stories in her own time, and inspired numerous portrayals afterwards. Part of the ‘No Man’s Land’ Series The idea behind this series is to celebrate remarkable people who have challenged gender stereotyping in order to live lives of adventure and professional discovery. The initial inspiration came from an article on Rose de Freycinet who joined her husband’s round-the-world scientific voyage illegally, dressed as a man. Thinking she might make a good subject for a painting, I discovered I could find only one small likeness of her. This led me to wonder how many other unconventional historical figures had been similarly neglected and, ultimately, to start working on this alternative gallery of portraits. Unsurprisingly, the series features many women who have dressed as men to be able to pursue education or careers that would have been denied to them otherwise. Throughout history there are scores of women who have assumed male identities simply in order to survive financially. There are also literary women, such as Amy Dillwyn and Florence Dixie, who have used their own experiences to champion women’s rights. The series includes portraits of both men and women for whom gender identity was at best irrelevant and at worst significantly limiting to their ideas of personal freedom and sexuality. All are united by their disregard for societal norms – for a variety of reasons and to a greater or lesser extent – and they dressed accordingly. For many of these advocates of freedom and equality, ‘doing’ was far more important than personal recognition or social acceptance, the antithesis to our current ‘selfie’ generation. Original work available through The Martin Tinney Gallery, Cardiff

Painting:Oil on Wood

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:17.5 W x 12.8 H x 1.5 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.