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Anguissola [Angosciola; Anguisciola; Angussola].
Italian family of painters. Six sisters from a noble family of Cremona, daughters of Amilcare Anguissola and Bianca Ponzoni, were painters of some renown: (1) Sofonisba Anguissola, (2) Lucia Anguissola, Europa (c. 1542–c. 1578), Elena ( fl 1546–84), Minerva ( fl 1558–69) and Anna-Maria (c. 1555–c. 1611) Anguissola. Sofonisba and Elena studied painting with Bernardino Campi from c. 1545 and with Bernardino Gatti from 1549. Elena entered the convent of S Vincenzo in Mantua, where she was recorded in 1585, and may be the subject of the Portrait of a Nun (1551; Southampton, C.A.G.) attributed to Sofonisba. Vasari, who visited the family in 1566, praised the sisters’ work. He noted that Sofonisba’s Family Portrait (1560s; Nivå, Nivaagaards Malsaml.) shows Minerva, her father and her brother Asdrubale. Europa executed a portrait of their mother (untraced), according to Vasari, and she signed the Calling of SS Andrew and Peter (Vidiceto, Parrocchiale). The Holy Family (Cremona, Mus. Civ. Ala Ponzone) is signed by Anna-Maria. The following members have entries:
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