When Anthony van Dyck visited Palermo in 1624, he sought out the legendary painter Sofonisba Anguissola, then in her nineties and nearly blind. Their meeting became the stuff of art history: van Dyck later wrote that Anguissola "gave me advice about painting which I value more than the lessons of all the professors," and he sketched her as she lay bedridden. The painting Sofonisba Anguissola on her deathbed, completed in 1625, is the only known portrait of one great artist by another at the very end of life—a rare tribute from the rising star of the Baroque to a pioneer who had opened doors for women in art. Van Dyck’s canvas captures the quiet dignity of Anguissola’s final days.

He shows her propped up on pillows, her hands folded gently on the coverlet, face illuminated by a soft, indirect light that seems to honor her intellect and presence rather than her frailty. The painter’s gaze is reverent, not sentimental; the sparse setting focuses attention on Anguissola’s lined face and alert expression, suggesting a mind still keen despite age and infirmity. Unlike earlier, more formal self-portraits by Anguissola herself, van Dyck’s approach is intimate and unguarded, recalling Rembrandt’s later studies of his own aging face.

The result is less a conventional portrait than a conversation across generations. The fate of this painting after its creation is uncertain. Some scholars believe it remained in Sicily for centuries, while others suggest it traveled with van Dyck back to Northern Europe. Its medium, too, is debated—no surviving documentation confirms whether it is oil on canvas or a more fragile support.

Today, Sofonisba Anguissola on her deathbed is generally attributed to van Dyck, though the lack of signature has led to occasional doubts. Regardless, the work stands as a moving testament to artistic lineage and respect, marking a unique moment in the career of Anthony van Dyck and the legacy of Sofonisba Anguissola.