Michaelina Wautier, also Woutiers, was a painter from the Southern Netherlands. Only since the turn of the 21st century has her work been recognized as that of an outstanding female Baroque artist, her works having been previously attributed to male artists, especially her brother Charles.

Wautier was noted for the variety of subjects and genres that she worked in. This was unusual for female artists of the time who were more often restricted to smaller paintings, generally portraits or still-lifes.

Born in 1604 in Mons, Belgium, Michaelina Wautier was the only daughter in a family of nine children. Scholars assume that she came from a high-class family, as her work shows an in-depth knowledge of classical mythology and symbolism. She appears to have begun her artistic career later in life, around the age of 39, however, her talent evidently did not long go unnoticed. Possibly as a result of her brother Charles’ contacts in the army as he had previously been an officer she was commissioned to do a portrait of the aristocratic general Andrea Cantelmo. That painting has since disappeared, but its existence is known through an engraving of it done by Paulus Pontius. Charles was also a painter, and the two moved to Brussels in 1645, where they both remained unmarried and shared a studio. After arriving in Brussels, they settled in a mansion near the Chapel Church. Both Michaelina and Charles seemed to have been active in business, particularly in real estate. Both also were almost certainly well-trained in art, but it is not known where or with whom. Little else is known about Wautier's life so much of her biographical information is based on scholarly conjecture and analysis of her available works.