Abstract

Several portraits of elderly women have been attributed to the Renaissance artist, Sofonisba Anguissola as self-portraits in old age despite a lack of strong evidence to support these attributions. This thesis paper aims to shed some light on these incorrect attributions by examining how the “mythology” that has been created around Sofonisba’s life (e.g.: beliefs and stories related to her biography) might have made these attributions to seem plausible to earlier scholars. First, this thesis will go through the provenance of the misattributed portraits to better understand how and when these paintings were connected to Sofonisba. Second, this thesis will look at how the life and career of Sofonisba and how that has been discussed in scholarship since the Early Modern Period. This thesis will highlight aspects of her career that may have contributed to the belief that Sofonisba extended her career as a painter of self-portraits into old age. The late career of Sofonisba is obscure compared to her early career, as little is known about the artist after she entered the court of Philip II in 1559. Similarly, early modern portraits of elderly women are an underdeveloped topic in art history scholarship, and this thesis aims to contribute to this area of study. This thesis will explore how Sofonisba might have become associated with portraits of elderly women through inaccurate narratives in her biographies. I will also speculate about what these inaccuracies reveal about the negative manner in which art historians have treated elderly artists and old age in visual culture.