A Bad-Ass Dad and His Bad-Ass Daughters

The training of young artists during the middle ages and renaissance intrigues me. The first organized craft guilds came into being in the 12th century in Western Europe and the master/apprentice system shortly followed. An apprentice was a person that was bound by legal agreement to work for a master craftsman for a specific amount of time in return for instruction in a trade, art or business. Apprentices were treated as part of the master's family; masters were obligated to provide room and board for the apprentice.

I've not yet discovered a record of girls being apprenticed to a master painter during this period. Perhaps this is because girls were expected to keep a home, and have children when they reached adult hood. Also, apprentices shared common living quarters, so it would have been considered inappropriate to have boys and girls sharing sleeping arrangements. There is also the consideration of having a male master overseeing a young girl and the potential for unsuitable behavior.

In the last half of the 16th century things begin to change. Apprenticeships were codified and placed into statue in England in 1563. The Statute of Artificers defined how many apprentices a master could have, how long the apprenticeship would last and how disputes between master and apprentice would be settled. Records of the time suggest that girls might be eligible for apprenticeships in some trades such as buttonmakers, lacemakers, and tailors.

Sofonisba Anguissola, The Chess Game

Sixteenth century accounts reveal that  young girls pursuing painting would sometimes have teachers outside the convent or home. Often the teacher would come to the girls home to train her; occasionally the girl might visit the artists workshop.

Fortunately for  the Anguissola girls, their dad saw the value in providing a well rounded education that included training in fine art. Legend has it that Amilcare Anguissola, a nobleman from Cremona,  asked each of his six daughters what they wanted to study. Five of the six said painting and one choosing writing. Sofonisba and Lucia were the most well known of the sister artists. There was also one boy, Asdrubale, who's sole claim to fame seems to be that he was Sofinisba's brother.

Self Portrait, Lucia Anguissola

When Sofonisba was about 14 years old Amilcare arranged for her to study with  Bernardino Campi a highly respected portrait painter from Cremona. When Campi moved to another city she studied with Bernardino Gatti. It is important to note that secondary writers refer to Sofonisba as apprenticing to these two artists, but I've not yet discovered any contemporary source material that confirms she was in an apprenticeship relationship with either artist.

There is still so much to tell about this family. In a first time ever event for Bad-Ass Women Artist Blog the story of  the Anguissola girls is...

TO BE CONTINUED!


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Life in Elizabethan England: Apprentices. http://elizabethan.org/compendium/80.html (Last visited: October 2019)
Cartwright, Mark. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Medieval Guilds. https://www.ancient.eu/Medieval_Guilds/ (Last visited: October 2019)
Statute of Artificers, 1563. http://www.ditext.com/morris/1563.html (Last visited: October 2019)

Evans, Richard. Technical Education Matters: Short History of Apprenticeships.  http://technicaleducationmatters.org/2011/01/06/short-history-of-apprenticeships/ (Last visited: October 2019)