Iaia is one of several female artists of antiquity mentioned in
Pliny the Elder's
Natural History (XL.147–148). Four others are
Timarete,
Irene,
Aristarete, and Olympias. Pliny also possibly lists a fifth,
Calypso, though this interpretation is disputed; most scholars accept an alternative reading in which Calypso is the subject of a painting by Irene. Iaia (as "Marcia") is one of three women artists mentioned in
Boccaccio's
De mulieribus claris. Iaia is a character in
Steven Saylor's novel
Arms of Nemesis (1992), where she is depicted practicing her craft on the
Bay of Naples in 72 B.C.E The character of Julie Lambert, the protagonist of the novel
Shining Harmony (2017) and the poetic anthology
Living and Not Living (2018), both by Italian writer
Sabrina Gatti, was inspired by Iaia. In the novel, Julie, a talented painter, sees in Iaia the artist to emulate and dedicates to her a painting where she portrays the Roman painter, intent on painting in her atelier; while in "Living and not living," the young woman is completely identified with Iaia. Iaia (as Lalla) is one of the names featured on Judy Chicago's
Heritage Floor. ==Notes==