Arcadópolis
The Chess Game
Sofonisba Anguissola, 1555
What you see
Three sisters gather around a chessboard on a table draped with a carpet. On the left, one holds a chess piece and looks straight at us. On the right, another, in profile, raises her hand as if about to speak. Between them, the youngest grins, and at the far right an older woman in a white cap leans in to watch.
The dresses are rich with texture: orange-red brocade on the left, dark velvet with golden sleeves and pearls on the right. Behind them, a tree and a bluish landscape of mountains and water open up the space. Notice the Latin inscription painted along the edge of the board.
About Sofonisba Anguissola
Sofonisba Anguissola was born in Cremona into a noble family whose father wanted all six of his daughters to study art and letters, something very rare at the time. She painted her sisters playing, laughing and posing, and made so many self-portraits that her face was one of the best known of her age. She was painter and lady-in-waiting at the court of Philip II in Madrid and lived past ninety; in her old age the young Anthony van Dyck visited her in Palermo and drew her.
More by Sofonisba Anguissola
Self-Portrait at the Easel
Self-Portrait with a Book
Miniature Self-Portrait
Portrait of Her Father Amilcare with Minerva and Asdrubale
Boy Bitten by a Crayfish
Portrait of Minerva Anguissola
Portrait of the Marquess Massimiliano Stampa
Elisabeth of Valois Holding a Portrait of Philip II
Philip II
Self-Portrait
Juana of Austria with a Young Girl
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