Portrait Group with the Artist’s Father Amilcare Anguissola and her Siblings Minerva and Astrubale
Artist: Sofonisba Anguissola (Italian, 1532-1625)
Date: c. 1559
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: The Nivaagaard Collection, Copenhagen, Denmark
Description
The Italian noblewoman Sofonisba Anguissola was the most famous and recognized female artist of the Renaissance period. She was particularly acclaimed as a portrait artist, and here she portrays her father Amilcare, her brother Astrubale, and her sister Minerva in fancy outfits with drapes in the background in a rare intimate and personal family portrait. Her father is proudly displaying his son but her sister is also portrayed. Sofonisba left the work unfinished in the bottom left corner, as she had to leave her childhood home in Cremona on short notice as King Philip II of Spain offered her a position as a lady in waiting for his new queen. She worked for the Spanish court for twenty years, where she also served as a drawing teacher and made portraits of virtually the entire royal family. The family portrait belonging to The Nivaagaard Collection is considered as one of her main works.
