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rtistic ferment bubbled in Italy CA 1532 later, baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi,
in the late 1400s and early 1500s, Sofonisba Anguissola for example, was taught by her artist father).
but despite the later idealization is born to a cultured, Since Amilcare Anguissola was not an artist,
of that period as the Renaissance, noble family in he took the unusual step of allowing Sofonisba
Cremona, Italy.
Ait was also a time of extreme vi- to study under the painter Bernardino Campi
olence. As the armies of Spain, France, and when she was about 14.
the Holy Roman Empire battled to control the 1546 Sofonisba studied through her late teens
peninsula, Machiavelli was devising his bru- Encouraged by her and early 20s under Campi, and later Ber-
tal ideas about political science, and Leonardo father, Sofonisba nardino Gatti. At 22, she met Michelangelo
da Vinci was juggling his masterpieces with begins to study Buonarroti. Impressed by her talent, he of-
painting under
military designs for guns and cannons. War fered to help her and provided feedback and
Bernardino Campi.
and patriarchal values kept women at home critiques of her work.
and ensured that the names of Renaissance 1559 After seeing Sofonisba’s sketch of a laugh-
luminaries almost all belong to men. ing young girl, Michelangelo challenged her
Born amid the gore and glory of the era, So- Invited to the court with an assignment: draw a child crying. The
of Philip II of Spain,
fonisba Anguissola was exceptional on many result was her famous drawing, “A Boy Bit-
Sofonisba excels as a
levels: She won fame in her own lifetime as one portraitist and forges ten by a Crawfish,” which brilliantly captures
of a tiny number of Renaissance women who royal friendships. the expression of fright and pain on the face
painted their way out of domesticity and, later, of a boy (the model was her younger brother
into the world’s art museums. Her prodigious 1573 Asdrubale). Many years later, this drawing in-
talent dazzled Michelangelo, and at age 27 she At age 40, Sofonisba spired Caravaggio to create “Boy Bitten by a
went to Madrid to become one of Europe’s marries and returns Lizard” (circa 1595).
most brilliant court painters. Her many works to Italy, where she
continues to teach
inspired a later generation of baroque artists, International Career
and paint.
including Anthony Van Dyck and Caravaggio. The long Italian wars that had dragged on
1625 through Sofonisba’s youth were ended in 1559.
Genius in the Family The Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis drew Cremo-
After having her
Sofonisba was born around the year 1532 in portrait painted by na, already a dominion of Spain, deeper into the
Cremona, northern Italy, the eldest child of Van Dyck, Sofonisba Spanish orbit after France renounced its claim
Bianca Ponzoni and Amilcare Anguissola. The dies in Sicily. to the Duchy of Milan.
last of the seven Anguissola children was born Sofonisba’s brilliance had come to the atten-
in 1555, completing a close-knit, cre- tion of the Spanish governor of Milan, the Duke
ative family of six girls and one boy. of Sessa. He recommended her appointment
Amilcare encouraged not only his to the court of the Spanish king, Philip II.
son Asdrubale but also all his While Sofonisba was technically lady-in-
daughters—Sofonisba, Elena, Lu- waiting to Philip II’s new French queen,
cia, Minerva, Europa, and Anna Elizabeth (Isabel, in Spain) of Valois, she
Maria—to obtain a high level of actually served as the drawing mistress
education and to cultivate the and portrait painter of the royal family.
arts. Sofonisba’s talent soon The Madrid court may not have
became too obvious to ignore. seemed a congenial place for a young
In 16th-century Italy, young artist from a close-knit family. Rul-
women who wanted to become er of Spain, its American colonies,
painters were not allowed to swathes of Italy, and the Low Coun-
be apprentices in professional tries, Philip II had a reputation for
studios. The only hope for bud-
ding female artists was to receive THE ARTIST’S MOTHER. BIANCA PONZONI PAINTED BY HER
DAUGHTER,SOFONISBA ANGUISSOLA, 1557. GEMÄLDEGALERIE,
tuition from male relatives (the BERLIN STATE MUSEUMS, BERLIN
BRIDGEMAN/ACI
64 MARCH/APRIL 2022
