The Femminiello
Giuseppe Bonito, The Femminiello, 1740/1760, oil on canvas, Gift of The Ross Family Fund of Equity Foundation, public domain, 2014.107.1
This work is on view.
- Title
The Femminiello
- Artist
- Date
1740/1760
- Medium
oil on canvas
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
30 3/8 in x 24 7/8 in
- Collection Area
European Art
- Category
Paintings
- Object Type
painting
- Culture
Italian
- Credit Line
Gift of The Ross Family Fund of Equity Foundation
- Accession Number
2014.107.1
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
- Location
This recently discovered painting is a testament to the exceptional social acceptance of cross-dressers known as femminielli in the city of Naples. The term, which might be translated "little female-men," is not derogatory, but rather an expression of endearment. Femminielli come from the Spanish Quarter, the most impoverished neighborhood of the city, as is evidenced by this individual's missing tooth and goitre, a hereditary condition among the poor. Although femminielli crossdress from an early age, they do not try to conceal their birth sex completely. Rather than being stigmatized, they are deemed special and are accepted as almost a third sex. In particular, femminielli are thought to bring good luck, so Neapolitans often take them gambling. This association is represented by the necklace of red coral, which is also thought to bring good fortune. Owing to social prejudice, cross-dressers were rarely depicted until the modern era. In spite of Neapolitan acceptance, this is the only known representation of a femminiello before photographs made at the end of the nineteenth century.
View additional resources here.
- Exhibitions
2023 Throughlines: Connections in the Collection Portland Art Museum