Kammala wannan jumla: An haifi Sofonisba Anguissola a Cremona, Lombardy a 1532, babba cikin yara bakwai, shida daga cikinsu mata ne. Mahaifinta, Amilcare Anguissola, ya kasance memba na masarautar Cremonese, kuma mahaifiyarta, Bianca Ponzone, ita ma ta kasance mai martaba. Iyalin suna zaune kusa da wurin shahararren yakin karni na 2 BC,
na yaƙin Trebbia, tsakanin Romawa da Carthaginians, kuma an ambaci membobin dangin Anguissola da yawa bayan tsoffin haruffa na tarihin Carthaginian: Amilcare ya ambaci 'yarsa ta fari bayan mummunan halin da ake ciki na Carthaginian Sophonisba, da ɗansa Asdrubale bayan shugaban yaƙi Hasdrubal Barca. Amilcare Anguissola, wanda littafin Baldassare Castiglione ya yi wahayi zuwa gare shi Il Cortigiano, ya ƙarfafa dukkan 'ya'yansa mata (Sofonisba, Elena, Lucia, Europa, Minerva da Anna Maria) don haɓaka da kuma inganta ƙwarewar su. Hudu daga cikin 'yan'uwa mata (Elena, Lucia, Europa da Anna Maria) sun zama masu zane-zane, amma Sofonisba ta kasance mafi ƙwarewa kuma sananne kuma ta koya wa' yan uwanta. Elena Anguissola (c. 1532 <unk> 1584) ya watsar da zane don zama nun. Dukansu Anna Maria da Europa sun daina zane-zane bayan sun yi aure, yayin da Lucia Anguissola (1536 ko 1538 <unk> 1565 <unk> 1568), mafi kyawun mai zane na 'yan'uwan Sophonisba, ya mutu da ƙuruciya. 'Yar'uwarsa, Minerva, ta zama marubuciya da masanin Latin. Asdrubale, ɗan'uwan Sophonisba, ya yi karatun kiɗa da Latin, amma ba zane ba.