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| Sofonisba Anguissola (c. 1532–1625) | ||||||||||
| Born in Cremona, Sofonisba Anguissola was a painter of the Lombard school and one of the most acclaimed portraitists of the 16th century. She studied under Bernardino Campi and later Bernardino Gatti. Around 1554, she gained recognition in Rome with her portraits—one of the earliest of which may be her self-portrait from that year, now held in the Vienna Museum. She frequently depicted herself in various contexts: with brush and palette, seated at the clavichord, working at her easel, or playing chess with two of her sisters. After being invited to Spain by King Philip II, she spent several years at the Spanish court, where her portraits were highly praised. She was appointed first lady-in-waiting to the Infanta Clara Eugenia and continued to paint members of the royal family—although these works are no longer extant. King Philip II honoured her with lavish gifts and granted her a generous pension upon her marriage and return to Italy. Following her marriage, she lived in Palermo, where she painted several religious works—although these were considered less accomplished than her portraits. After the death of her husband, she remarried and moved to Genoa, where she was admired for both her artistic talent and personal accomplishments. The artist Anthony van Dyck reportedly said that he had learnt more about the true principles of art from her conversations than from any other source. Remarkably, all five of her sisters were also painters. Sofonisba Anguissola died in Palermo, and she gradually fell into obscurity, with some of her unsigned paintings later credited to other painters. | ||||||||||
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Art