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Isabella Andreini drafting

A commedia dell'arte troupe in a late 16th-century Flemish painting (Musée Carnavalet, Paris). The troupe is usually identified as the Gelosi; the woman is usually identified as Isabella.

Many women in early commedia dell'arte troupes are credited with advancing much of the improvisational tools used by the art form; Isabella Andreini is included in this legacy as a performer in the Gelosi troupe.

In 1599, Isabella Andreini performed before Henry IV, King of France, and his wife Maria de Medici. By this point, Isabella was well-known enough to be addressed as the "star" performer of the troupe, referred to by Maria de Medici in a letter as "the actress Isabella and her company."