Sofonisba Anguissola (1535-1625) was an Italian painter, considered the first successful woman painter of the Renaissance. She created portraits and self-portraits, establishing new rules in the field of female portraiture. At the age of 27, she settled in Spain, in the court of King Philip II. She was given an important role as a link between Italian and Spanish portraiture in the 16th century, as well as a notable influence on the further development of this genre in Italy. Her career was a precedent for several women artists who had been excluded from academic teaching, guilds and workshops, and papal patronage, but who did find support in European Royal Courts between the 16th and 18th centuries.A total of 50 works have been safely attributed to Sofonisba. Her paintings can be seen in galleries in Bergamo, Budapest, Madrid (Museo del Prado and Museo Lázaro Galdiano), Milan (Pinacoteca de Brera), Naples, Siena and Florence (Galería Uffizi). Her work has had an enormous influence on subsequent generations of artists. Despite living in an era where women were absent from the visual arts, her success opened the way for other women to develop their artistic careers. Among their names are Lavinia Fontana, Bárbara Longhi, Fede Galizia, and Artemisa Gentileschi.