The life of Sofonisba Anguissola becomes a novel: it is "The Lady with the Fan" by Giovanna Pierini

Coming to bookstores throughout Italy is La dama con il ventaglio, the novel by Giovanna Pierini that chronicles the life and artistic works of Sofonisba Anguissola ( Cremona, 1532 - Palermo, 1625), one of the greatest painters of the 16th century. The novel begins in 1625, the year of the artist’s death, who, in her last days of life, attempts to recall how the painting that gives the book, published by Mondadori Electa, its title, originated.

The story narrated by Pierini, then, traces Anguissola’s life, amid noble palaces, artisan workshops and sea voyages and a plague-ravaged Palermo, with an Italy at the center of the courts ofEurope providing the backdrop. The novel, which takes place between Cremona, Genoa, Palermo and Madrid (the places where Sofonisba lived) features many important historical figures of the time, from Anton van Dyck to Isabella of Valois, not to mention Sofonisba’s husband, the Genoese nobleman Orazio Lomellini.

This is the first novel by Giovanna Pierini, a freelance journalist who lives and works in Milan and has written about marketing and management for years. In 2006 she published Confidential Informationwith Alessandro Tosi. Her painter mother, Luciana Bora, passed on her love of art and has been curating the archive of her works since 2008. The book (192 pages) will be on sale from Sept. 11 for €18.90.

The life of Sofonisba Anguissola becomes a novel: it is "The Lady with the Fan" by Giovanna Pierini

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