Lavinia pentana was born in Bologna, petialy in 1552. Lavinia was trained by her father and followed his Mannerist style. She was the first woman artist to have commissions for large-scale and public works as well as portraiture. Her first recorded works, which date from 1575, were small paintings for private devotion. By 1577, she had become established as a portrait painter. Her style reflects the formality of central models as well as the naturalistic tendencies of the north petalian tradition. She died in 1614.