Artemisia Gentileschi (8 July 1593–ca.

1656) is an Italian Early Baroque painter, today considered one of the most accomplished painters in the generation influenced by Caravaggio.

In an era when women painters are not easily accepted by the artistic community, she is the first female painter to become a member of the Accademia di Arte del Disegno in Florence.

She is one of the first female artists to paint historical and religious paintings, at a time when such heroic themes are considered beyond a woman's reach.