Elisabeth of Valois and Sofonisba Anguissola
Before the Duke of Alba departed for the wedding in Paris, Philip II of Spain asked him to learn more about his future bride. When Alba discovered that Elisabeth of Valois enjoyed drawing, he recalled a talented young Italian noblewoman he had heard about during his years as governor of Milan. Sofonisba Anguissola, a native of Cremona, had trained with local masters and had earned the admiration of Michelangelo, who encouraged her artistic development through correspondence. News of her remarkable talent had spread throughout Italy. Philip II made inquiries, and Sofonisba accepted an invitation to join Elisabeth's household in Spain as a lady-in-waiting. Her journey to Spain mirrored Elisabeth's own, following the path of many young women who left their homeland to begin a new life at a foreign court.
Too old to make the trip himself, Sofonisba’s father asked two kinsmen to deliver his daughter to Spain. In January 1560, as Elisabeth and her sprawling convoy climbed into the Pyrenees, Sofonisba and her humble retinue braved the Ligurian Sea to Barcelona. From there, she travelled three hundred miles west into Castile, joining the Spanish court in Guadalajara in time to meet Elisabeth. There would be no need for the services of Monsieur de Lansac, the interpreter: Elisabeth already spoke Italian, her mother’s language, which Elisabeth had polished in the classroom and honed in the company of the young Clarice Strozzi.
Settled in the queen’s household, Sofonisba would teach the young queen to draw and paint. Elisabeth delighted in her art lessons with Sofonisba Anguissola and proved herself a talented student. She would ‘soon surpass even the lady who teaches her, who is a real master,’ Madame de Vineux prattled to Catherine de Medici, keen to flatter both the new queen and her mother. Sofonisba became one of Queen Elisabeth of Valois's closest companions and most trusted ladies-in-waiting. The two developed a close friendship.
During her years at the Spanish court, Sofonisba Anguissola painted portraits of Philip II and members of the royal family. She became one of the principal portrait painters at the Spanish court, working alongside artists such as Alonso Sánchez Coello. Such was Sofonisba's reputation that Pope Pius IV personally requested a portrait of Queen Elisabeth of Valois. After receiving the painting, he wrote to Sofonisba to thank her and praised her remarkable talent.
Following Elisabeth of Valois's death in 1568, the infantas Isabella Clara Eugenia and Catherine Michelle were entrusted in part to the care of Sofonisba Anguissola. According to an envoy from the court of Urbino, Sofonisba was so devastated by the queen's death that she declared she "did not want to continue living." Nevertheless, she remained in Spain for the sake of the young princesses, helping oversee their upbringing and becoming an important teacher of drawing and courtly accomplishments. She stayed with them for the next five years, until returning to Italy in 1573 to marry.
Leah Redmond Chang, Young Queens
