Sofonisba Anguissola (IT, 1532 – 1625)

Sofonisba Anguissola, The Chess Game, 1555

Sofonisba Anguissola, Italian painter

also known as Sophonisba Angussola or Sophonisba Anguisciola, was an Italian Renaissance painter born in Cremona to a relatively poor noble family. Via Wikipedia

Born: c 1532, Cremona, Italy
Died: November 16, 1625, Palermo, Italy

On view: Museo Nacional del Prado, Museo Lázaro Galdiano, Rijksmuseum, more

Periods: Mannerism, Italian Renaissance, Renaissance

Known for: Portrait painting, Drawing

Self-Portrait, 1556

Self-Portrait, 1610

Self-portrait, c. 1560

… She received a well-rounded education that included the fine arts, and her apprenticeship with local painters set a precedent for women to be accepted as students of art.

As a young woman, Anguissola traveled to Rome where she was introduced to Michelangelo, who immediately recognized her talent, and to Milan, where she painted the Duke of Alba.

The Spanish queen, Elizabeth of Valois, was a keen amateur painter and in 1559 Anguissola was recruited to go to Madrid as her tutor, with the rank of lady-in-waiting.

Portrait of Queen Elisabeth of Spain

Three Children with a Dog, 1580s

Catalina Micaela of Spain, Duchess of Savoy, attributed to Sofonisba Anguissola.

Portrait of Prince Alessandro Farnese (ca. 1560)

Don Carlos, 1566 by Sofonisba Anguissola (?1532-1525), Museum of Fine Art of Asturias

Sofonisba Anguissola, Elizabeth de Valois (Queen consort of Spain) holding a Portrait of Philip II, 1561-65
Museo del Prado, Madrid

Sofonisba Anguissola, Portrait of Caterina Micaela of Spain, c. 1578

Profile Portrait of a Young Woman,

Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia and Infanta Catherine Michelle, 1569

Portrait of a Young Lady, 1580

She later became an official court painter to the king, Philip II, and adapted her style to the more formal requirements of official portraits for the Spanish court.

After the queen’s death, Philip helped arrange an aristocratic marriage for her. She moved to Sicily, and later Pisa and Genoa, where she continued to practice as a leading portrait painter.

---

see also

art #herstory : read HERE

---

have you heard about:

Photograph of the Immaculate Conception sculpture by Maria de Dominici, with the original pedestal

Maria de Dominici (6 Dec 1645 – 18 Mar 1703) was a Maltese painter, sculptor, and a Carmelite tertiary nun.

Born into a family of artists based in the city of Birgu (Vittoriosa), she was the daughter of a goldsmith and appraiser for the Knights of Malta.
Two of her brothers were painters. Her nephew would write a contemporary art history book that included references to his aunt Maria. via Wikipedia

learn more: MALTESE HERSTORY: Malta’s First Established Female Painter Was A Bold, Baroque And Free-Roaming Nun

---

#SofonisbaAnguissola #Sofonisba #Mannerism #ItalianRenaissance #Renaissance #ItalianPainter #ItalianFemalePainter