Don't get involved with 17th century painters: the Rembrandt Edition
When I was in Frankfurt recently, I also visited the current Rembrandt exhibition at the Städel Museum. (Which is great, btw, if anyone is near Frankfurt am Main before January next year, they should by all means check it out. Now, this particular museum had, in its huge museum shop, among others a novel by Simone van der Vlught titled "Rembrandt's Mistress". Which I read, and it intrigued me enough to check out the internet afterwards, considering what I knew about Rembrandt's private life before reading the book had only been that his wife Saskia died young and he had a long term mistress called Hendriejke Stoffels, because both of them are regularly named as models for various of his paintings. The heroine of this novel, though, is Geertje Dircxs, who was Rembrandt's mistress for eight years between Saskia and Hendriejke, and to say they parted badly is employing a ridiculous euphemism. It ended in lawsuits, Rembrandt getting Geertje locked up in a gruesome 17th century workhouse for what were supposed to be 12 years but were five when a friend got her out, at which point Geertje, undeterred, sued Rembrandt for wrongful imprisonment and damages. He counter sued and died; she was one of his main creditors when he did. She did not survive him by much, though. Now, the afterword to the novel tells me Geertje had a terrible press for centuries until the full trial and law suit transcripts were published in the 1960s, being presented until then as a blackmailer, harridan, greedy hag/woman scorned/dumped (for Hendriejke). Googling, I saw that wikipedia has widely different accounts in its English and German articles on her. English wiki is solidly on Rembrandt's side, German wiki on Geertje's. Choice examples, with some background first: Titus is Rembrandt's son born by his wife Saskia, who died not long after said birth. Geertje was engaged to care for Titus either shortly before or shortly after Saskia's death and quickly became Rembrandt's lover, who gave her some of Saskia's jewelry (whether as a present or a loan was a point of contention later), including a ring. However, Saskia in her last will had stated that if her husband was to remarry, he would lose access to her inheritance, which is one big reason why Rembrandt at no point considered marriage. (He wouldn't marry Hendrieke later, either.)
English wiki:
In May 1649 (Geertje) and Rembrandt quarreled, probably as a consequence of Rembrandt's new relationship with his housekeeper Hendrickje Stoffels. 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. 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.[5] 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.
German wiki:
In 1648, Geerje made the six years old Titus her "sole universal heir". Soon thereafter, Rembrandt ended his relationship with her, since he had started an affair with his maidservant Hendriejke Stoffels, who was aproximately sixteen years younger than Geertje. Consequently, Geertje left his house and sued Rembrandt for breach of promise. The painter tried to achieve an agreement outside of court. He promised her a yearly sum of 160 Gulden. But shortly before the planned signing of the contract, Geertje made a scene and shouted at him in the presence of a notary that the sum wasn't enough.
Now the affair was transferred to the „Huwelijkskrakeelkamer“, the chamber for marriage troubles. At a hearing on October 23rd, 1649, Geertje declared in front of the judges that "the sued had repeatedly had intercourse with her". Consequently, she demanded that he either marry her or provided the money for her livelihood. The chamber condemmed Rembrandt to the payment of a yearly apanage of 200 Gulden. Geertje had to promise in return not to disinherit Titus and to leave all the jewelry to him which she had been given by Rembrandt.
English wiki:
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.
German wiki:
However, she pawned some of the jewelry. Consequently, Rembrandt got so angry that he bribed her brother Pieter Dircxs and collected incriminating witness statements against Geertje together with him. This led to her being condemned to the female prison of Gouda in 1650. Rembrandt provided the money for her arrest and transfer. He also financed her stay at the so called "Spin house".
In this prison, Geertje had to exist under horrible conditions. Five years later, her friend Trijn Jacobs managed to achieve her release. The low stationed widow still managed to negotiate successfully for this with the city council of Gouda. Rembrandt threatened (Trijn) with the words "she would regret this", and tried as well to draw the city council at his side, but Trijn Jacobs pervailed. Geertje was ill, but began with the collection of witness statements in order to sue Rembrandt upon her release regardless. The artist who was by then highly into debts also started to prepare himself for a trial. Geertje lived long enough to see Rembrandt go broke, but died shortly thereafter. Her biographer Christoph Driessen comments: "The persistance with which she fought against the much more influential Rembrandt demands respect.
English wiki: After her release she prepared a complaint against Rembrandt for wrongful imprisonment on grounds of slander and false testimonies. According to Christoph Driessen, “[t]he audacity and tenaciousness she showed to fight the highly respected and established Rembrandt command one’s admiration”. 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.
The novel by Simone van der Vlugt, who makes Geertje the main character, faces the obvious question on how to treat Rembrandt. If he's too negative, then it's incomprehensible why Geertje remains with him for years and doesn't leave until he dumps her for a younger woman. (This isn't a situation like, say, Lizzie Bennet and George Wickham, where she's taken in for a short time but gets disenchanted even before he's exposed as a scoundrel.) Otoh, you have to prepare the readers for the fact he's not just capable of getting into a lawsuit with his ex but of locking her up in a workhouse for twelve years (that was the intention).
What the novel does very well is laying out the social conditions from the start, which is important because when Geertje and Rembrandt break up, the fact she's not likely to find a husband at her age, nor a well paying job and thus really is dependent on getting alimony from him is important. It also makes it clear that Geertje isn't completely blameless - she ignores some warning signs out of wishful thinking, and pawning the jewelry is a really terrible idea because the court has clearly ordered her not to. (Btw, in the novel her brother helps her do it, which is why he can be blackmailed by Rembrandt into testfifying against his sister later - otherwise he'd be sued himself as an accessory.) But mostly, she's presented as the wronged party, a woman who not only loses the partner she's lived with for years but also the son she has raised (since Saskia died after Titus' birth, Geertje has essentially been his mother until the breakup) when her beloved dumps her for a younger woman, makes some mistakes in the emotional fallout but by no means enough to warrant the horrible punishment that follows. Rembrandt is written as a convention defying force of nature whose darker side is mostly hidden at first but there. The book ends with Geertje's release from the workhouse and Trijn leading her into freedom, so on a hopeful note, leaving the last suit and death for the afterword. It's not a masterpiece of literature, but readable and not too long. This entry was originally posted at https://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1465141.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.
English wiki:
In May 1649 (Geertje) and Rembrandt quarreled, probably as a consequence of Rembrandt's new relationship with his housekeeper Hendrickje Stoffels. 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. 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.[5] 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.
German wiki:
In 1648, Geerje made the six years old Titus her "sole universal heir". Soon thereafter, Rembrandt ended his relationship with her, since he had started an affair with his maidservant Hendriejke Stoffels, who was aproximately sixteen years younger than Geertje. Consequently, Geertje left his house and sued Rembrandt for breach of promise. The painter tried to achieve an agreement outside of court. He promised her a yearly sum of 160 Gulden. But shortly before the planned signing of the contract, Geertje made a scene and shouted at him in the presence of a notary that the sum wasn't enough.
Now the affair was transferred to the „Huwelijkskrakeelkamer“, the chamber for marriage troubles. At a hearing on October 23rd, 1649, Geertje declared in front of the judges that "the sued had repeatedly had intercourse with her". Consequently, she demanded that he either marry her or provided the money for her livelihood. The chamber condemmed Rembrandt to the payment of a yearly apanage of 200 Gulden. Geertje had to promise in return not to disinherit Titus and to leave all the jewelry to him which she had been given by Rembrandt.
English wiki:
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.
German wiki:
However, she pawned some of the jewelry. Consequently, Rembrandt got so angry that he bribed her brother Pieter Dircxs and collected incriminating witness statements against Geertje together with him. This led to her being condemned to the female prison of Gouda in 1650. Rembrandt provided the money for her arrest and transfer. He also financed her stay at the so called "Spin house".
In this prison, Geertje had to exist under horrible conditions. Five years later, her friend Trijn Jacobs managed to achieve her release. The low stationed widow still managed to negotiate successfully for this with the city council of Gouda. Rembrandt threatened (Trijn) with the words "she would regret this", and tried as well to draw the city council at his side, but Trijn Jacobs pervailed. Geertje was ill, but began with the collection of witness statements in order to sue Rembrandt upon her release regardless. The artist who was by then highly into debts also started to prepare himself for a trial. Geertje lived long enough to see Rembrandt go broke, but died shortly thereafter. Her biographer Christoph Driessen comments: "The persistance with which she fought against the much more influential Rembrandt demands respect.
English wiki: After her release she prepared a complaint against Rembrandt for wrongful imprisonment on grounds of slander and false testimonies. According to Christoph Driessen, “[t]he audacity and tenaciousness she showed to fight the highly respected and established Rembrandt command one’s admiration”. 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.
The novel by Simone van der Vlugt, who makes Geertje the main character, faces the obvious question on how to treat Rembrandt. If he's too negative, then it's incomprehensible why Geertje remains with him for years and doesn't leave until he dumps her for a younger woman. (This isn't a situation like, say, Lizzie Bennet and George Wickham, where she's taken in for a short time but gets disenchanted even before he's exposed as a scoundrel.) Otoh, you have to prepare the readers for the fact he's not just capable of getting into a lawsuit with his ex but of locking her up in a workhouse for twelve years (that was the intention).
What the novel does very well is laying out the social conditions from the start, which is important because when Geertje and Rembrandt break up, the fact she's not likely to find a husband at her age, nor a well paying job and thus really is dependent on getting alimony from him is important. It also makes it clear that Geertje isn't completely blameless - she ignores some warning signs out of wishful thinking, and pawning the jewelry is a really terrible idea because the court has clearly ordered her not to. (Btw, in the novel her brother helps her do it, which is why he can be blackmailed by Rembrandt into testfifying against his sister later - otherwise he'd be sued himself as an accessory.) But mostly, she's presented as the wronged party, a woman who not only loses the partner she's lived with for years but also the son she has raised (since Saskia died after Titus' birth, Geertje has essentially been his mother until the breakup) when her beloved dumps her for a younger woman, makes some mistakes in the emotional fallout but by no means enough to warrant the horrible punishment that follows. Rembrandt is written as a convention defying force of nature whose darker side is mostly hidden at first but there. The book ends with Geertje's release from the workhouse and Trijn leading her into freedom, so on a hopeful note, leaving the last suit and death for the afterword. It's not a masterpiece of literature, but readable and not too long. This entry was originally posted at https://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1465141.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.