During centuries the women were separated not only of the spheres of power, but of all those fields that were considered socially inappropriate for them. In fact, they could not devote themselves to practically any qualified profession, leaving aside the case of the midwives or of those women who entered the convents in order to continue studying and cultivating, as was the case with Juliana Morell . However, during the Renaissance a few artists managed to gain a place in the European courts thanks to the precedent established by Sofonisba Anguissola . Join us to discover 10 curiosities of a painter who opened the way to other .
Sofonisba Anguissola
The Renaissance painter Sofonista Anguissola He was born in Cremona in 1535 in the bosom of a family of the small nobility. His parents were Amilcare Anguissola and Bianca Ponzone. Sophonisba, possessor of great intelligence and creativity, was celebrated by male artists of the stature of Vassari, Vand Dyck and even Miguel Angel. Others, such as Caravaggio or Rubens imitated his portraits and, however, at his death was not remembered and his works were attributed to other painters of the time such as Zurbarán, El Greco and Sánchez Coello among others. As a painter of the court of Philip II, many of his works were not signed and perhaps for that reason he fell into oblivion and his great artistic quality made them be awarded to others.
Among other merits, she is considered an innovator in the female portrait, also served as a link between the portrait that was made in the Renaissance in Italy and the Spanish and especially was a precedent for other women could work as painters in several European courts . It is the only woman that has exhibited work in the Prado Museum Permanently. You can see 3 of his paintings in Room 55 .
10 facts about Sofonisba Anguissola
1. The name of Sofonisba was given to him by his parents in memory of the daughter of the Carthaginian general Asdrúbal Giscón. This was a beautiful and courageous woman who actively participated in several episodes of the Punic Wars, committing suicide in the last instance before parading in Rome as a prisoner. The Anguissola family had been related in the remote past with Carthage.
2. Sofonisba Anguissola she was the oldest of 7 brothers, 6 of whom were girls. They were called Sofonisba, Elena, Lucia, Europa, Minerva and Ana María; four of them were also painters. The only male brother was named Asdrúbale. The father insisted that his daughters were cultivated and among the teachings they received included the Fine Arts.
3. The first precedent that established Sofonisba Anguissola It is related to the art studies that his father promoted. At age 14, she and her sister Helena were sent to study with a local artist named Bernardino Campi, and later they continued their studies in Bernardino Gatti's workshop. They were the first women who studied painting outside their homes and from this fact, other young women could do the same and they were accepted as art students.
4. Sofonisba's father had sent Michelangelo several drawings of his daughter and when he traveled to Rome in 1554, he went to visit him. Miguel Angel, who had detected the great talent of the young woman, proposed that he make a drawing in which a child was seen crying. Sofonisba drew the "Child bitten by a crab" and recognizing its worth, for two years he was instructing it informally.
5. Like many other painters after her, her career was not easy due to the restrictions imposed by the morals and customs of the time. As we already commented in the post of Clara Peeters , women were forbidden the study of anatomy and even the drawing of the human body with a natural model.
6. Despite the limitations, Sofonisba Anguissola He managed to create a new style of portrait and self-portrait that stand out for his informal style. On many occasions his extended family were the models.
7. When Isabel de Valois married Philip II of Spain, Sofonisba came to the court as a teacher, maid and painter, recommended by the Duke of Alba. I was 24 years old at the time. At the court she worked with other famous painters and developed a great work as a painter. He was there for more than 15 years. Many of his portraits were lost when, in 1734, the Real Alcazar in Madrid burned down.
8. For years the work entitled "The Lady of the Ermine" had been attributed to El Greco. Some critics even claimed that it was his best work. A few years ago, two art historians (Carmen Bernis and María Kusche), separately, attributed the authorship of "La Dama del Ermiño" to Sofonisba Anguissola .
9. On the death of Queen Elizabeth of Valois, Sofonisba Anguissola He remained in court contributing to the education of the two infantas Isabel Clara Eugenia and Catalina Micaela. The king's gratitude was great and as he remained single he arranged a marriage with a nobleman: Francisco de Moncada, son of the prince of Paterno, viceroy of Sicily. They moved to live in Sicily, where she continued to paint. The husband died at sea, a few years later, apparently in a pirate attack. A widow, she traveled to Cremona on a boat in which she met her second husband, Captain Orazio Lomellino, much younger than her, with whom she settled in Genoa and who adored her until the moment of her death. when he was 93 years old. He did not have children.
10. The influence of Sofonisba Anguissola It was very big not only as a precedent for other women painters, but gathered around them important artists, including Van Dick, who traveled to visit her even when she could no longer paint more affected by cataracts. The portrait of "Isabel de Valois with marta cibelina" Juan Pantoja de la Cruz is apparently a copy of the one he made to Queen Sofonisba Anguissola. " Isabel de Valois with Marta Cibelina " It was reproduced by numerous artists over the centuries and is considered the most copied painting of Spain.
Did you know Sofonisba Anguissola ? Did you know that in her time she had been so well known and famous? If you want to meet other women painters, we invite you to read the post: 5 brilliant women artists forgotten by history