Aged twenty-five, she married a former pupil of her father, who not only allowed her to keep her maiden name but raised their eleven children. Running a successful studio (completing a staggering twenty-four public commissions), she quickly advanced to larger narrative paintings and her fame spread. By 1604 she had relocated to Rome, then the greatest place for artistic opportunity, where she became a member of the prestigious Accademia di San Luca and her work was admired by the Pope. Fontana is thought to be one of the first women in Western art to paint female nudes, as seen in her
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