Maria Ormani

Article summary

Maria Ormani (born Maria di Ormanno degli Albizzi; 1428 - ), was an Italian Augustinian Hermit nun-scribe and manuscript illustrator. She was the granddaughter of Rinaldo degli Albizzi, leader of the aristocratic Guelph party of Republic of Florence; both her father Ormanno and grandfather Rinaldo were exiled when the Medici family returned to Florence in 1434. Maria lived through the turmoil of their condemnation, departure, and confiscation of family properties during this exile. In 1438 she entered the convent of Santa Caterina al Monte, known as San Gaggio, located just outside the walls of Florence. The nuns of San Gaggio formed an elite community with an outstanding library inherited from Cardinal Pietro Corsini. They copied their own breviaries and manuscripts for the Augustinian friars at Santo Spirito, Florence, and for the new Augustinian female convent of Santa Monaca. They were also active in the textiles industry and produced fine linens and gold thread. Maria di Ormanno degli Albizzi's most notable work is an apparent self-portrait in a breviary (Ms. Cod. 1923, Oesterreichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna) that she signed and dated 1453. This is the earliest dated self-portrait by a woman artist in Italian Renaissance art.…

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1428 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of birth is "1428". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
4. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1345465844