He taught all of his children a humanistic culture, with readings of Latin and Italian texts, and painting for the eldest daughters Elena and Sofonisba, under the guidance of Bernardino Campi (1522–1591).

They lived for three years in the house of Campi and in 1546, when the painter left Cremona and moved to Milan, Sofonisba Anguissola became the painting teacher of her younger sisters.

In 1550 Elena and Sofonisba (the older sisters) passed into the workshop of Bernardino Gatti, called the Sojaro.

The fundamental dates are: Not only were contemporary documents studied, but also the apparent age of the Anguissola family members, in the paintings of Sofonisba.

However, in order to respect the chronological succession of the births of the children, we have opted in some cases for an intermediate dating, inside the fork.