Portrait of Prince Alessandro Farnese (1545-1592), later Duke of Parma and Piacenza
A learning resource for young people entering the Zurich Young Portrait Prize.
| Who is the artist? Sofonisba Anguissola |
Where is the artist from? She was Italian. |
| When was the artist alive? She was born c.1532 and died in 1625. |
When was this portrait made? c.1560 |
| What is the portrait made of? Oil on canvas |
What size is it? 107 x 79 cm |
Who is the sitter?
Prince Alessandro Farnese was a 15-year-old aristocrat who was the son of the Duke of Parma and grandson of King Charles V of Spain. He was educated at the Spanish court and he became a military general, fighting in campaigns against the Turks, French and English.
Why did the artist make this portrait?
Sofonisba Anguissola painted the prince a short time after her arrival at the Spanish court, where she was lady-in-waiting to the Spanish queen Elisabeth of Valois.
Look closely
Take a look at this list of words:
sword
tights
hat
hose
young man
fur
black background
cloak
silver thread
pearl
shirt
Now look at the portrait. Can you see these parts of the picture? Can you see anything else?
Look again!
Take a look at this list of words:
young
confident
serious
brave
powerful
bored
playful
lonely
Now look at the picture again. Do any of these words describe the sitter? How would you describe him? Take out a notepad and jot down in your own words how you make this portrait.
Get creative!
Now think of other ways the artist could have made this portrait.
- Could it be a sculpture? A print? A drawing?
- Could he be sitting instead of standing? Could he be outdoors instead of indoors?
- Could other objects be included in this portrait? What do you think they would be?
Try sketching another version of this portrait in a notebook or a spare sheet of paper.
