One of many self portraits, Sofonisba Anguissola’s Self Portrait completed in 1558 depicts the artist as a young woman. She sits at a slight angle with her head turned, and is surrounded by the gradient green of the circular background. Anguissola was notably the most prolific self-portraitist of her time, and historians attribute this fact to the rule that women were not allowed to paint nudes or use nude models. Before she became the official court painter to King Phillip II of Spain, she used her own form as subject matter to guide her practice in painting the human body.
SKU: 68155
Creator: Sofonisba Anguissola
Date: 1558
Original Medium: Oil on panel
Location: Frits Lugt Collection