Rome in 1611 is a jewel-bright place of change, with sumptuous new palaces and lavish wealth on display.
A city where women are seen but not heard.
Artemisia Gentileschi dreams of becoming a great artist. Motherless, she grows up among a family of painters — men and boys. She knows she is more talented than her brothers, but she cannot choose her own future.
She wants to experience the world, but she belongs to her father and will belong to a husband.
As Artemisia patiently goes from lesson to lesson, perfecting her craft, she also paints in private, recreating the women who inspire her, away from her father’s eyes.
Until a mysterious tutor enters her life. Tassi is a dashing figure, handsome and worldly, and for a moment he represents everything that a life of freedom might offer. But then the unthinkable happens.
In the eyes of her family, Artemisia should accept her fate. In the eyes of the law, she is the villain.
But Artemisia is a survivor. And this is her story.
Disobedient by Elizabeth Fremantle is published on 27 July, 2023.
You may enjoy Elizabeth’s Historia features, such as:
Five infamous female poisoners (one of our most popular features)
The Honey and the Sting: the novel that didn’t want to be written
James I & VI: King or Queen?
Lewd Strumpets!
Are the Stuarts the New Tudors?
Or read our interview with her.
