Maria Felice Tibaldi

A Life in Rome

Born in Rome in 1707, Maria Felice Tibaldi grew up surrounded by the sounds of her father’s violin, as Giovanni Battista Tibaldi was a well-known musician in the city. Her path into the world of art began very early. Under the guidance of Abbot Giuseppe Felice Ramelli, she learned the delicate skill of miniature painting. By the time she was ten years old, she was already earning money through her art to help support her family during her father's difficult years in the Roman music scene.

In 1739, her personal and professional lives became deeply intertwined when she married the painter Pierre Subleyras. This union brought together two artists working within the same Roman circles. She did not work alone; her sisters, Teresa and Isabela, also practiced in similar genres, creating a family environment centered on creative labor. After her husband passed away in 1749, Maria Felice took charge of a busy studio. Alongside her sister and her daughter, Clementina Subleyras, she managed a workspace that remained active and respected for many years.

Artistic Practice and Recognition

Maria Felice Tibaldi specialized in portrait miniatures and historical subjects. She worked with various media, including oil, pastel, and watercolor on parchment. Her talent was not limited to small formats; while no signed large-scale oil paintings have survived, her skill in the miniature format was highly regarded by collectors traveling through Italy on the Grand Tour. She was also known for her precise copies of works by other artists, particularly those by her husband.

Her standing in the Roman art community was marked by several formal honors:

• In 1742, she gained admission to the Accademia di San Luca.
• In 1743, she joined the Arcadian Academy, adopting the name Asteria Aretusa.
• Her work attracted the attention of powerful figures, including Cardinals Silvio Valenti Gonzaga and Cosimo Imperiali, as well as Charles Theodore, the Elector Palatine of Bavaria.

Notable Works and Legacy

One of her most significant achievements occurred in 1752, when Pope Benedict XIV purchased a miniature copy of Dinner at the House of Simone il Fariseo for the Musei Capitolini. This work, based on a painting by her husband, was the first piece by a living artist to enter that collection. Her repertoire also included subjects such as Bacchus and Ariadne and Angelica and Medoro.

Though much of her output exists in the form of small-scale works, her influence reached far beyond the edges of a single parchment. Through her studio leadership and her ability to navigate the social circles of Rome's elite, she maintained a steady presence in the 18th-century art world until her death in Rome in 1770.