Miniature Self-Portrait (Anguissola, Boston)

Miniature Self-Portrait is the smaller of two known miniature self-portraits by skilled portraitist Sofonisba Anguissola (ca. 1532–1625) to survive. Painted around 1556, this small oil on parchment on cardboard is set in a metal frame with a scroll surmount. The choice of format is based on Anguissola's knowledge of the works of the celebrated Italian Renaissance miniaturist Giulio Clovio (1498–1578), as well as virtuous self-fashioning, and the Renaissance taste for puzzles. The painting is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, in Boston.