Sofonisba Anguissola, one of the rare women in Renaissance Italy to achieve international acclaim as an artist, painted this self-portrait in her early twenties. She presents herself holding an image of herself holding an intriguing medallion. Adorning it is a cipher interweaving the letters in her father’s name AMILCARE, which may be a tribute to his support of her career. Encircling the cipher is a Latin inscription proclaiming her achievement. It reads, in English: SOPHONISBA ANGUSSOLA THE MAIDEN PAINTED THIS WITH HER OWN HAND FROM A MIRROR IN CREMONA. By cleverly covering the last two letters of the word “virgo” (maiden), she puns on the Latin word “vir” (man), the root of “virtue” and “virtuosity”—traits Sofonisba could easily claim for herself.

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