Properzia de Rossi

The sculptor Properzia de’ Rossi trained with the master engraver Marcantonio Raimondi. She began her career by carving peach stones with figures of saints (used for jewelry); the astonishing detail of these minute carvings was much praised by Vasari. Better known for her marble busts and sculptural decoration of public buildings, she won important commissions during her career. Despite success, she apparently had a troubled life and died impoverished in a hospice in Bologna.