In New Kingdom Ancient Egypt, the 18th-dynasty pharaoh Queen Hatshepsut (1508–1458 BCE) – who co-ruled with her nephew and stepson, Thutmose III, before declaring herself pharaoh – was a significant patron of art and architecture. Some art historians have used the neologism ‘matronage’ when discussing women patrons but, along with most scholars working on the topic today, I prefer to use the traditional – albeit gendered – term patronage. It is important to stress that the patronage systems of the past were based on social stratification and inequalities in power and economic standing – so, in general, patronage by both women and men was the province of elites, who had the means to extend commissions. Yet, from Antiquity to the present day, women have requested (and collected) works of art and have commissioned buildings and urban interventions. Thus, the term ‘patronage’ is inherently gendered and, in nearly all cases, female patrons worked within the limitations of patriarchal societies. The English term ‘patron’ comes from the Latin patronus (protector of clients or dependents, specifically freedmen), which is, in turn, derived from pater (father). It is well known that, in many cases, informed and intelligent patrons took an active role in shaping the character of the works they commissioned. Over recent decades, patronage studies – which bring together issues of personal and group identity, political power and cultural production – have come to occupy a significant place in the history of art. For more than 3,000 years, patronage of art and architecture has been a noteworthy path for women’s agency and self-expression.
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