Re-visiting the Renaissance Virtuosa in Biofiction on Sofonisba Anguissola

The recent surge in biofiction has seen a marked inclusion of historical women visual artists as protagonists, especially those from the culturally distant early modern period. One artist who, rather surprisingly, has been the subject of numerous contemporary novels is the lesser-known Italian Renaissance painter Sofonisba Anguissola (c. 1535–1625). Anguissola was also a frequent biographical subject in the early modern period; thus, a main question this chapter explores is how two early modern life narratives about her (by Giorgio Vasari and Raffaelle Soprani) and two contemporary biofictions (by Donna DiGiuseppe and Chiara Montani) characterise the artist. In particular, I will consider whether the attributes that Fredrika Jacob associates with the Renaissance virtuosa (such as young, beautiful, and multi-talented) are extended by novelists into the modern period, or whether these attributes are augmented or supplanted by qualities that might be more relatable to contemporary readers. Through this inquiry I also explore possible reasons for the popularity of Anguissola as a protagonist, allowing us to better comprehend how female subjects of biographical novels might be chosen, imagined, and received.