Geertje Dircx (; 1610-1615 – c. 1656) was the lover of

Rembrandt van Rijn Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally cons ...

after the death of his wife Saskia. She was hired as a

wetnurse A wet nurse is a woman who breastfeeds and cares for another's child. Wet nurses are employed if the mother dies, or if she is unable or chooses not to nurse the child herself. Wet-nursed children may be known as "milk-siblings", and in some cu ...

to the painter's son

Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death. Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a mili ...

, but lived with Rembrandt as his lover for several years. The relationship broke up acrimoniously, leading to a lengthy court-case for "

breach of promise Breach of promise is a common law tort, abolished in many jurisdictions. It was also called breach of contract to marry,N.Y. Civil Rights Act article 8, §§ 80-A to 84. and the remedy awarded was known as heart balm. From at least the Middle ...

" (a euphemism for seduction under

reached ''Reached'' is a 2012 young adult dystopian novel by Allyson Braithwaite Condie and is the final novel in the ''Matched Trilogy,'' preceded by '' Matched'' and '' Crossed''. The novel was published on November 13, 2012, by Dutton Juvenile and wa ...

promise to marry), in which she claimed maintenance from Rembrandt. She was eventually imprisoned after displaying increasingly unstable behaviour. After her release she tried to sue Rembrandt for wrongful imprisonment. She may be the model for a number of Rembrandt's works, but there is disagreement about which images depict her.

Life

In Rembrandt's service

Geertje was born in Edam. Between 1630 and 1640, she worked in an inn in

Hoorn Hoorn () is a city and municipality in the northwest of the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the largest town and the traditional capital of the region of West Friesland. Hoorn is located on the Markermeer, 20 kilometers ...

. At some point she was married to Abraham Claesz, a trumpeter, but her husband died. After that she lodged with her brother Pieter, a ship's carpenter in

Waterland Waterland () is a municipality in the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland. It is situated north of Amsterdam, on the western shore of the Markermeer. It is well-known for comprising the touristy towns of Broek in Waterland and M ...

. It was possibly through him that she got to know Rembrandt. She entered Rembrandt's service in around 1643, as a childless widow. She lived with Rembrandt for six years in the

Sint Antoniesbreestraat The Sint Antoniesbreestraat ("St. Anthony's Broad Street") is a street in the centre of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The street runs south from Nieuwmarkt square to the Sint Antoniesluis sluice gates, where it continues as the Jodenbreestraat. ...

and nursed his son

. During this time she and Rembrandt apparently entered into a relationship, an arrangement which was not uncommon. He gave her a number of rings that had belonged to his deceased wife,

Saskia van Uylenburgh Saskia van Uylenburgh ( fy, Saakje fan Uylenburgh; 2 August 1612 – 14 June 1642) was the wife of painter Rembrandt van Rijn. In the course of her life, she was his model for some of his paintings, drawings and etchings. She was the daug ...

, a gesture not much appreciated by Saskia's family. A few years later Geertje would expect Rembrandt to marry her, but such an arrangement would have resulted in the loss of Saskia's inheritance.

Legal proceedings

In May 1649 she and Rembrandt quarreled, probably as a consequence of Rembrandt's new relationship with his housekeeper

Hendrickje Stoffels Hendrickje Stoffels (1626 – 21 July 1663) was the longtime partner of Rembrandt. The couple were unable to marry because of the financial settlement linked to the will of Rembrandt's deceased wife Saskia, but they remained together until Hendr ...

. The couple separated and Rembrandt came to an agreement with Geertje that he would pay her 160 guilders, plus an annual stipend of 60 guilders for the rest of her life, as long as she did not change her will which named Titus as her heir.Paul Crenshaw, ''Rembrandt's Bankruptcy: The Artist, His Patrons, and the Art World in Seventeenth-Century Holland, Cambridge University Press, 2006, p.41. In June, Geertje rented a room above a seamens' bar. By October, Geertje had requested additional support from Rembrandt, having pawned jewellery given to her by Rembrandt to maintain her livelihood. Although he was not legally required to do so, Rembrandt paid her 200 guilders to redeem the jewellery and agreed to increase her stipend to 160 guilders a year, on the continued condition that she would not change her will. Geertje, however, refused to accept this settlement, claiming that it would not cover her expenses if she became seriously ill or infirm. When Geertje came to sign the agreement with Rembrandt in the presence of a notary, she refused to sign to the agreement. She summoned Rembrandt before the Commissioners of Marital Affairs on a charge of

and took his gifts such as a diamond ring to a pawnbroker's to fund the case. The commissioners raised the annual sum to 200 guilders. The court particularly stated that Rembrandt had to pay a maintenance allowance, provided that Titus remained her only heir and she sold none of Rembrandt's possessions. However, Geertje continued to demand money from Rembrandt, possibly to the point of blackmail. In the summer of 1650, Rembrandt participated in an effort to have Geertje sent to the " spinhuis" in Gouda, a women's house of correction, sometimes referred to as an insane asylum. Historian Patrick Hunt describes it as "virtual prison for destitute and diseased prostitutes as well as an asylum for the mentally unhinged. Geertje probably lived up to the latter requisite by ranting and raving 'most vehemently'". Historians have had differing views about the facts behind this dispute. It seems that her brother and nephew, along with a number of Geertje's neighbours, supported some of Rembrandt's claims against her. She was condemned to twelve years' confinement. In 1652 she petitioned for her release, but was refused. In 1655 she became ill. A friend of hers named Trijn Jacobs eventually managed to persuade the council to intervene on her behalf and Geertje was freed from prison, having been confined for five years. After her release she prepared a complaint against Rembrandt for wrongful imprisonment on grounds of slander and false testimonies. According to Christoph Driessen, “ /nowiki>t/nowiki>he audacity and tenaciousness she showed to fight the highly respected and established Rembrandt command one’s admiration”.Driessen, Christoph (2012): ''Rembrandts vrouwen'', p 167. Rembrandt filed a counter-suit and secured an order that her brother Peter must not leave the Netherlands as he was required as a witness (he was intending to work as a carpenter on board a ship bound for India). On 8 August 1656 Geertje is listed as one of Rembrandt's seven major creditors. She probably died shortly after this. Rembrandt's financial situation had deteriorated seriously during this period, and Geertje's new demands may have been the "final straw" that led to his filing for bankruptcy.

Dramatic portrayals

In the 1936 film ''

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally cons ...

'' she is depicted as a highly unpleasant, shrewish and conniving woman. She is portrayed by

Gertrude Lawrence Gertrude Lawrence (4 July 1898 – 6 September 1952) was an English actress, singer, dancer and musical comedy performer known for her stage appearances in the West End of London and on Broadway in New York. Early life Lawrence was born Gertr ...

, making one of her very rare film appearances. She also appears in

Peter Greenaway Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a Welsh film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Flemish painting in particular. Common traits in his films are th ...

's 2007 film '' Nightwatching'', played by

Jodhi May Jodhi Tania May (''née'' Hakim-Edwards; 8 May 1975) is a British actress. She remains the youngest recipient of the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival, for ''A World Apart'' (1988). Her other film appearances include ''The Last ...

. Again she is portrayed negatively, as a spy hired by conspirators to discredit Rembrandt. She also appears in the 1942 German film ''

'' played by Elisabeth Flickenschildt. In television she is depicted by Jenny Tanghe in the drama ''Hendrickje Stoffels'' (1963), by Caroline van Houten in ''Rembrandt'' (1999) and by Marieke Heebink in the Dutch 2011 series ''Rembrandt en ik''. In literature author Simone van der Vlugt sets out to rehabilitate Geertje's reputation offering a surprising perspective in her 2019 historical novel '' Schilderslief ''.

References

Sources

* Schwartz, G. (1987) Rembrandt, zijn leven, zijn schilderijen. Een nieuwe biografie met alle beschikbare schilderijen in kleur afgebeeld, p. 240-1. * Vis, D. (1965) Rembrandt en Geertje Dircx. * Wijnman, H. F. (1968) EEN EPISODE UIT HET LEVEN VAN REMBRANDT: DE GESCHIEDENIS VAN GEERTJE DIRCKS, Jaarboek Amstelodamum, p. 106-19.

External links

Amsterdam Town archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dircx, Geertje 1656 deaths 17th-century Dutch women People from Edam-Volendam Dutch female models Year of birth unknown Family of Rembrandt