Sofonisba Anguisola

About the Artist

Sofonisba Anguissola (1532-1625) was a painter born into a noble family in Cremona during the Italian Renaissance. As a young woman she met Michelangelo in Rome, and she later painted a portrait of the Duke of Alba in Milan. As a woman painter, she was recognized for exceptional artistic talent, rare for her time, demonstrating through her achievement the possibilities open to women artists. Her name was given to a crater on Mercury in 2017, in recognition of her artistic influence.