Geertje Dircx
Encyclopedia
Wet nurse
A wet nurse is a woman who is used to breast feed and care for another's child. Wet nurses are used when the mother is unable or chooses not to nurse the child herself. Wet-nursed children may be known as "milk-siblings", and in some cultures the families are linked by a special relationship of...
to the painter's son Titus
Titus van Rijn
Titus van Rijn was the fourth and only surviving child of Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn and Saskia van Uylenburgh...
and also became Rembrandt's model and lover. Rembrandt furthered her being imprisoned after she had charged him with breach of promise.
In Rembrandt's service
Geertje was born in Edam. Between 1630 and 1640, she worked in an inn in HoornHoorn
-Cities :* Purmerend * Enkhuizen * Alkmaar * Amsterdam * Lelystad * Den Helder * Leeuwarden -Towns :* Edam...
. After that she went to her brother Pieter, a ship's carpenter in Waterland
Waterland
Waterland is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is located north of Amsterdam, on the borders of the IJsselmeer.-Population centres :...
. It was possibly through him that she got to know Rembrandt.
She entered Rembrandt's service in around 1643, as the childless widow of Abraham Claesz. She lived with Rembrandt for six years in the Sint Antoniesbreestraat
Sint Antoniesbreestraat
The Sint Antoniesbreestraat is a street in the centre of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The street runs south from Nieuwmarkt square to the Sint Antoniesluis sluice gates....
and nursed his son Titus
Titus van Rijn
Titus van Rijn was the fourth and only surviving child of Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn and Saskia van Uylenburgh...
, during which time Rembrandt fell in love with her. He gave her a number of rings that had belonged to his deceased wife, Saskia van Uylenburgh, 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 love for his housekeeper Hendrickje StoffelsHendrickje Stoffels
Hendrickje Stoffels was a model and mistress of Rembrandt.-Youth:Hendrickje was born in the garrison city of Bredevoort, Gelderland, the daughter of sergeant Stoffel Stoffelse and Mechteld Lamberts...
. Rembrandt came to an agreement with Geertje that for the rest of her life he would pay her 200 guilder a year, in return for her giving him any further assistance that was necessary. In June, Geertje hired a room above a seamens' bar.
Breach of promise
Breach of promise is a former common law tort.From at least medieval times until the early 20th century, a man's promise of engagement to marry a woman was considered, in many jurisdictions, a legally binding contract...
and took his gifts such as a diamond ring to a pawnbroker's to fund the case. Rembrandt offered Geertje a one-off payment of 200 guilder, to buy back the jewels that she had pawned, and after that 160 guilders annually. The commissioners raised the sum to 200 guilder, because Geertje had indicated that the previous sum could scarcely pay for the necessities of life.
When Geertje came to sign the agreement with Rembrandt, she kicked up a scene. She would not listen to the notary reading out the contract, and refused to sign to the agreement. The court particularly stated that Rembrandt had to pay a maintenance allowance, provided that she remained Titus's only heiress and sold none of Rembrandt's possessions. Rembrandt was so involved with the case and with his new affair that he did not produce a single painting that year.
When she testified again to a number of affairs of his, Rembrandt wanted Geertje locked up in 1650 in the Spinhuis in Gouda
Gouda
Gouda is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Gouda, which was granted city rights in 1272, is famous for its Gouda cheese, smoking pipes, and 15th-century city hall....
, a women's house of correction. Her brother and nephew, via a number of Geertje's neighbors, helped to get Rembrandt to allow her to leave his employment. She was condemned to twelve years' imprisonment, but became ill and was released after five years. A year later she died.
Finally Rembrandt got into a quarrel with her brother and prevented him from leaving the city as carpenter on a ship bound for India.
In the 1936 film Rembrandt she is depicted as a highly unpleasant, shrewish and conniving woman. She is portrayed by Gertrude Lawrence
Gertrude Lawrence
Gertrude Lawrence was an English actress, singer and musical comedy performer known for her stage appearances in the West End theatre district of London and on Broadway.-Early life:...
, making one of her very rare film appearances. She also appears in Peter Greenaway
Peter Greenaway
Peter Greenaway, CBE is a British film director. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Flemish painting in particular...
's film Nightwatching
Nightwatching
Nightwatching is a 2007 film about the artist Rembrandt and the creation of his painting The Night Watch. The film is directed by Peter Greenaway and stars Martin Freeman as Rembrandt, with Eva Birthistle as his wife Saskia van Uylenburg, Jodhi May as his lover Geertje Dircx, and Emily Holmes as...
, played by Jodhi May
Jodhi May
Jodhi May is an English actress.-Early life:Born in Camden Town, London, May first acted at the age of 12 in 1988's A World Apart. The role earned her a Best Actress award at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival, shared with her co-stars Barbara Hershey and Linda Mvusi...
.