Sofonisba Anguissola: ‘The first great woman artist of the renaissance’

Self portrait (1554)

Sofonisba Anguissola (b.ca. 1532-1625) was born into an Italian noble family in Cremona. She was a successful painter whose work was even admired by Michelangelo. Her success has led her to be described as ‘the first great woman artist of the Renaissance’ (Perlingieri 1992). Sofonisba’s five sisters Elena, Europa, Lucia, Anna Maria and Minerva and her brother Asdrubale also painted, however Sofonisba the eldest of her siblings was the most notable. She conducted herself as a professional artist rather than a noble woman who painted as a hobby. Her father Amilcare was highly supportive of her career and went to great lengths to advertise her work. He even arranged for her to be informally tutored by Michelangelo who was also complimentary of her work. Interestingly her painting was praised for its lifelike quality a description normally retained for the best male artists of the day. Her popularity extended to Spain, in 1559-73 she was a lady in waiting and portrait painter at the Spanish court of Philip II. She married the brother of the Viceroy of Sicily, Don Fabrizio de Moncado in 1569. Later she was married for a second time to Orazio Lomellino a Geonese noble around 1579. She was buried in San Giorgio dei Genovesi, Palermo on 16 November 1625 having had a successful career.

A painting by Sofonisba of her sisters playing chess (1555)

Last resting place: San Giorgio dei Genovesi, Palermo

Further Reading

Perlingieri, Ilya Sandra, Sofonisba Anguissola: the first great woman artist of the Renaissance, (1992)

Robin, Diana Maury, Anne R. Larsen and Carole Levin (eds.), Encyclopedia of women in the Renaissance: Italy, France, and England, (2007)

Copyright © 2010 Elaine Hunter