Sofonisba Anguissola (ca. 1530/1540 Cremona - 1625 Palermo) was the oldest and the most famous of the six sister-artists (the others' names were Anna Maria, Elena, Europa, Lucia, and Minerva). Prized by her contemporaries such as Vasari, F. Salviati, A. Caro and Michelangelo, the artist enjoyed wide recognition in Italy, as well as in other countries, and moved in circles of sovereigns, aristocrats, literati and artists of her time.
In 1559 Anguissola was a guest of Duca di Sessa in Milan; a few months later she was invited to attend the Spanish Court. She traveled to Madrid in 1560. There she became a Court Lady of the Queen Isabella, and in 1571 married a nobleman Fabrizio di Moncada from Palermo. In 1578, according to records, she was in Palermo and, in 1585, following her husband's death, went to Genoa to join her second husband, the nobleman Orazio Lomellino. She lived between Genoa and Palermo, working into a very old age, until she lost her sight.
Although Sofonisba Anguissola was mainly a portrait artist (she also produced many self-portraits), she was also active as a religious painter. Her works can be seen in best museums of the world.

Provenance: antique store, Louviers, Normandy/France

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