The Italian Renaissance did indeed produce Renaissance men—architect-goldsmiths, sculptor-painters, statesmen-patrons and the like—but they were only part of the story. From the perfecting of perspective in 15th-century Florence to the peninsula-wide triumph of the Baroque two centuries later, women were distinguishing themselves in the arts as everything from highly conspicuous patrons to enterprising craftspeople, but little is still known about them.

The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston aims to fills in some of the gaps with Strong Women in Renaissance Italy. Using more than 100 works, largely from the MFA’s own collection, the show will take a generous approach, connecting pre-Renaissance Siena with 17th-century Naples.