Sofonisba Anguissola (1532-1625),

• Was an Italian Renaissance painter.
• She was born in Cremona to a relatively poor noble family.
• She received a well-rounded education that included the fine arts.
• Her apprenticeship with local painters set a precedent for women to be accepted as students of art.
• As a young woman, Anguissola traveled to Rome where she was introduced to Michelangelo, who immediately recognized her talent, and to Milan, where she painted the Duke of Alba.
• The Spanish queen, Elizabeth of Valois, was a keen amateur painter and in 1559 Anguissola was recruited to go to Madrid as her tutor.
• After the queen's death, Philip helped arrange an aristocratic marriage for her.
• Sofonisba moved to Sicily, and later Pisa and Genoa, where she continued to practice as a leading portrait painter.
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