Sofonisba Anguissola (c. 1532-1625) was an Italian Renaissance painter from Cremona who achieved considerable fame during her lifetime as the first widely-known female artist. She was invited by the Habsburg King Philip II of Spain (reign 1556-1598) to become the painting instructor and lady-in-waiting to his third wife, Elisabeth of Valois (1546-1568). In 1573, she married an Italian nobleman...
