lthough unsigned, some authors (Garrard) believed that this is Artemisia's earliest known painting, which she based on a Madonna painted by her father. Others (including Bissell) dispute the attribution and have suggested this version of Madonna and Child as her earliest work.
However, if it is her work, then at age sixteen, she already demonstrates excellent technical and compositional skills. She captures an intimacy between mother and child that is rarely achieved by male artists.