17^th Century Spanish, active in Portugal

Painter of history and religious works, portraits, still lifes, flowers and fruit; printmaker.

Also known as Josefa de Ayala Figueira, she was the daughter of Baltasar Gómez Figueira (who worked at the workshop of Francisco Herrera the Elder) and of Catalina de Ayala Camacho. After the restoration of Portugal’s independence, both parents returned there. However, Josefa would remain in Seville a further six years in the care of her stepfather, Herrera the Elder, which gave her the opportunity to better acquainted herself with the art world.

On her move to Portugal in 1648 she went to live in Obidos with her parents. Two years later she entered the Santa Ana Convent in Coimbra, where her father was making an altarpiece, to take her vows. In 1653, she was commissioned to create engravings for the Book of Rules of the University of Coimbra.

Shortly after that she left the convent and returned to the family home, determined to devote herself to painting, something rather unusual for a woman in those days. Her reputation spread quickly, and her works can be found in the Alcobaça Monastery and in the Jeronimos Monastery in Lisbon. She also painted portraits for the royal family.

Her style and subject matters are close to Zurbaran, with a highly naive rendering.