Sofonisba Anguissola

Sofonisba Anguissola’s paintings give individual faces and familiar activities a carefully observed presence. Her self-portraits show her reading, making music, or painting, connecting likeness with the accomplishments and working practice of a Renaissance woman. Family images range from shared activities to the formal dress and pose of the Portrait of Bianca Ponzoni Anguissola. Her work at the Spanish court placed this attention to likeness within another setting of royal representation.