Sofonisba Anguissola, Self-Portrait at the Easel, 1556. Łańcut Castle, Łańcut, Poland.
Sofonisba Anguissola (1532-1625)
"La più illustre pittrice d'Europa"
Described by Raffaele Soprani in 1674 as the most glorious woman painter in Europe, Sofonisba Anguissola was one of the most famous women artists of the Italian Renaissance.
During this period, women were only allowed to study under male artists if they were family members, which meant that generally, the only chance for them to become an artist was if they came from a family of artists. But Sofonisa's father, in fashion with the rules cited in Baldassare Castiglione's 1528 Il libro del cortegiano (The Book of the Courtier), wanted her to be a fully educated woman suited for court, who knew how to play music, read, paint and dance. Against the rules of the time, he sent her to study under Cremona artist Bernardino Campi, together with her sister Lucia. They were separated from the male students and stayed in the artist’s house, with his wife, instead of the artist’s workshop. Their education didn't come without limitations, since Sofonisba wasn't allowed to study anatomy or hire male models, which was considered essential for “serious” or “high” art. Additionally, women weren't allowed to venture outside on their own, making it virtually impossible to study nature. However, Sofonisba made a virtue out of necessity and became absolutely masterful at portraits, and everyday scenes, working mostly from her home, portraying herself, her sisters (who she also taught the art of painting) and her garden in the most original, unique portraits of their time.
Several of the self-portraits include attributes emphasizing her artistic talents, and her humanistic values, such as an easel and a spinet or clavichord. Each portrait shows a different virtue expected from a lady of high standing, often combined with the inscription of “virgo,” emphasizing her honorable nature. Her Self-Portrait at the Easel is also one of the earliest portraits showing a woman painting. With her portraits, Sofonisba plays with the expectations imposed by her gender, and uses these ideals—or this straitjacket, depending on how you see it—to present herself as a confident and masterful painter.
Sofonisba Anguissola, Boy Bitten by a Crayfish, c. 1554. Museo di Capodimonte, Naples.
Giorgio Vasari, the original art historian, described several of her portraits in his Vite from both 1550 and 1568 as “done with such care and such spirit, that they have all the appearance of life, and are wanting in nothing save speech.” This was one of the biggest compliments an artist during this period could receive. While in Milan and later Rome, Sofonisba's father wrote to Michelangelo Buonarroti (yes, that Michelangelo) on Sofonisba's behalf, sending her sketches for critique and advice. The sketch Boy Bitten by a Crayfish, which depicts Sofonisba's crying brother, Asdrubale, and her youngest sister comforting him, showcased her draftsmanship. This sketch caught the notably grumpy and dismissive Michelangelo's attention.
Between 1559 and 1573, Sofonisba was a lady-in-waiting to Elisabeth of Valois at the Spanish court, where she continued to paint portraits of the queen, the king, and their daughters.
She also had an extraordinary love story. In 1573, when Sofonisba expressed her wish to return to Italy, King Philip II arranged for Sofonisba to marry a Sicilian nobleman, Fabrizio de Moncada, Count of Caltanissetta and Paternò. She returned to Italy after fourteen years in Spain. Sadly, the marriage was short-lived: after less than five years, Fabrizio drowned during a pirate attack off Capri. During her subsequent trip back to her parents’ home in Cremona, at the age of 47, Sofonisba fell in love with the captain of the ship she traveled on: Orazio Lomellino of Genoa. Many tried to persuade her not to marry him, claiming that the captain was below her station, but she refused to be swayed, stating that the warnings came too late and that she in fact already had married him.
Anthony Van Dyck, Drawing of Sofonisba Anguissola from his Italian Sketchbook, 1624. British Museum, London.
She lived to be 93 (!!!), had an amazing career, influenced tons of other artists, and Anthony Van Dyck, famous Baroque artist and student of Peter Paul Rubens, visited her when she was elderly to ask for advice, which she gave him, because she was still sharp and brilliant in her 90s, even though she was virtually blind and had to put the page or canvas up to her nose to see.
In 1632, some seven years after her death, Orazio Lomellino ordered a memorial plaque for the church of St. Giorgio dei Genovesi in Palermo, bearing the following inscription: “To Sofonisba, my wife, whose parents are the noble Anguissola, for beauty and extraordinary gifts of nature, who is recorded among the illustrious women of the world, outstanding in portraying the images of man, so excellent that there was no equal in her age. Orazio Lomellino, in sorrow for the loss of his great love, in 1632, dedicated this little tribute to such a great woman.”
Sofonisba Anguissola, a Renaissance icon who refused to let society's limitations stop her from creating breathtaking art.
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