Barbara Ogier (baptized 17 February 1648 – 18 March 1720) was a
Flemish
Flemish may refer to:
* Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium
* Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium
*Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium
* Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...
playwright of
De Olijftak
De Olijftak (The Olive Branch), or in full (Confraternity of the Holy Spirit called the Olive Branch), was a chamber of rhetoric that dates back to the early 16th century in Antwerp, when it was a social drama society drawing its membership primar ...
, a
chamber of rhetoric
Chambers of rhetoric () were dramatic societies in the Low Countries. Their members were called Rederijkers (singular Rederijker), from the French word 'rhétoricien', and during the 15th and 16th centuries were mainly interested in dramas and l ...
in Antwerp. Her motto was "Deugd voeght yder" (Virtue is in order).
Life
Barbara Ogier was the daughter of Maria Schoenmaeckers and Willem Ogier. Her father was a playwright and, from 1660, also the ''factor'' (principal author) of the De Olijftak (the Olive Branch) chamber of rhetoric.
On 10 December 1680 she married the sculptor
Willem Kerricx
Willem Kerricx or Willem Kerricx the Elder (2 July 1652, in Dendermonde – 20 June 1719, in Antwerp) was a Flemish people, Flemish sculptor active in Antwerp.Willem Ignatius was born on 22 April 1682. He became a sculptor, painter and architect. He also wrote plays, as had his mother and grandfather, and in 1700 became ''factor'' of the ''Olijftak''.
Ogier's ''Dood van Achilles'' (The Death of Achilles, 1680) was played before a farce by her father, played on the same day. In the introduction to this play Ogier stresses that women have their own view of history, even on a matter like the
siege of Troy
The Trojan War was a legendary conflict in Greek mythology that took place around the twelfth or thirteenth century BC. The war was waged by the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans (Ancient Greece, Greeks) against the city of Troy after Paris (mytho ...
. In this case that was reasonable because the motive of the Trojan War was the abduction of a woman, Helen. The play was dedicated to Isabelle de Condé, wife of an Antwerp lawyer.
De Olijftak recognized Ogier's talent, and she was able to represent the chamber during the competition in
Bruges
Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country.
The area of the whole city amoun ...
in 1700. She also represented De Olijftak on the occasion of great festivities such as the visit to Antwerp in 1693 of the new governor general of the Spanish Netherlands, Maximilian Emanuel of Bavaria. On this occasion, she wrote in two days a short play in which allegorical and mythological characters praise the elector and also describe the sad economic state of Antwerp after the closure of the mouth of the
Scheldt
The Scheldt ( ; ; ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to Old Englis ...
. The 360 lines of verse feature the allegorical figures of the Virgin of Antwerp, Apollo, Painting accompanied by three students and Sculpture with two students. The decor for the play was made by the painter Godefridus Maes, while the play was published by Godgaf Verhulst, illustrated with an engraving by Gaspar Bouttats.
Work
General
Since they had less access to public life than men it was harder for women to print their works. Some opportunities were almost entirely reserved for men, such as chambers of rhetoric, and societies that women could not join. Barbara Ogier was an exception in many respects, since most of the female writers in the southern Netherlands were nuns or
beguines
The Beguines () and the Beghards () were Christian lay religious orders that were active in Western Europe, particularly in the Low Countries, in the 13th–16th centuries. Their members lived in semi-monastic communities but did not take for ...
who led a religious life in a convent or a women's community. However, the three tragedies she wrote were never printed, and were only partly transmitted. The poems known by her are from anthologies of the De Olijftak chamber.
Reception
Among those who held Ogier in high esteem during her life was Joseph Lamorlet, her colleague in the chamber of rhetoric, who in his ''Ontwaekte Poesie'' through the voice of
Apollo
Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...
called her
Sappho
Sappho (; ''Sapphṓ'' ; Aeolic Greek ''Psápphō''; ) was an Ancient Greek poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her lyric poetry, written to be sung while accompanied by music. In ancient times, Sapph ...
, writing verse with no equal. In 1724, in his ''Parnas, of de zang-godinnen van een schilder'', Willem van Swaanenburg published a funeral poem in memory of Barbara Ogier. According to
Jan Frans Willems
Jan Frans Willems (11 March 1793 – 24 June 1846) was a Flemish writer, and the father of the Flemish movement.
Willems was born in the Belgian city of Boechout while it was under French occupation. He started his career in the office of a n ...
, the quality of her poetry was equal and perhaps superior to that of her father, Willem. She herself apologized for the flaws of her style in the following verses:
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