During her lifetime, Artemisia Gentileschi was the most celebrated female painter in Europe. Her career spanned more than forty years and took her to Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples, and London, where she received prestigious commissions.

She worked within the context of the Italian Baroque, which emerged in the late 16th century in the wake of the Counter-Reformation. This artistic movement sought to move and persuade viewers through dynamic compositions, strong naturalism, and dramatic use of light, largely inspired by Caravaggio. Artemisia developed a highly personal style, marked by powerful storytelling and a keen attention to human emotion.

Trained by her father Orazio, she established herself in a male-dominated environment, ran a successful workshop, and confidently asserted her artistic abilities. Today, she is recognized as a key figure in art history, particularly for her compelling and powerful representations of women.

Settling in Naples for the last twenty-five years of her life, she produced major works within a vibrant artistic environment.

The artist's teenage experience of sexual assault affected much of her work and themes of abuse of authority, rape, and violence permeate many of her paintings. It is likely that painting these subjects allowed her to process the trauma of her assault and to seek revenge and redress through her artworks.