Maria Thins
Encyclopedia
Maria Thins was the mother-in-law of Johannes Vermeer
and a member of the Gouda
Thins family .
, where her brother lived. Her husband refused to divorce her, but in 1649 she received a considerable sum of money from him.
In 1653 her daughter Catharina married Johannes Vermeer
in Schipluiden
but it is not exactly known when the couple moved in at her rather spacious house on Oude Langendijk. Vermeer had his atelier on the front side of the second floor.
Maria Thins apparently played an important role in their life. She was a devotee of the Jesuit order in the nearby Catholic Church, and this seems to have influenced Johannes and Catherina too. Their third son was called Ignatius, after the founder of the Jesuit Order
. It is not known if the children were baptized in the Catholic Church, because baptismal records from that period are no longer extant.
In 1663 her son Willem, a jobless bachelor, was locked up in an institution after an argument with his mother, and for attacking his pregnant sister Catharina with a stick. In 1665 Maria Thins was entrusted with her son's property. She was not required by law to limit his share to the legal minimum, but she mentioned that he had been calling her names since his youth.
In 1672 Maria Thins got into financial difficulties: her land near Schoonhoven
was flooded to prevent the French army crossing the Dutch Water Line
. In 1675, when Vermeer went on several business trips for his mother-in-law, first to Gouda, when her husband had died, and then to Amsterdam. There he cheated her and borrowed money by fraudulently using her name. Vermeer got into a frenzy
, as his wife wrote, because of all their financial difficulties, and died suddenly. After Vermeer's death, Maria Thins stated that she used her income to help support the struggling painter and his growing family. For her help she received The Art of Painting
, one of the finest, most mysterious and famous paintings in the history of Western Art. In 1676 she lived in the Hague
but moved back to Delft where, upon her death, she was buried in the protestant Old Church on 27 Dec 1680, next to Vermeer. The burial record states that she died as the widow of Rijnier Bolnes. Catharina moved to Breda
. Her daughter Catharina Bollenes (Bolnes) received "Holy Oil", according to the records of the Roman Catholic parish of St Joseph, before being buried on 30 Dec 1687.
Johannes Vermeer
Johannes, Jan or Johan Vermeer was a Dutch painter who specialized in exquisite, domestic interior scenes of middle class life. Vermeer was a moderately successful provincial genre painter in his lifetime...
and a member of the 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....
Thins family .
Life
In 1622 she married Reynier Bolnes, a prominent and prosperous brickmaker. In 1635 the marriage deteriorated; her sister found her crying in bed after her husband had beaten her. The couple moved to another house, where Wouter Crabeth had lived. There Bolnes had his dinner in the front room, together with his son, while he refused to talk to her and slept in a room upstairs. At one time her daughter Cornelia was locked up by her father and in 1641 Maria Thins decided to move to DelftDelft
Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....
, where her brother lived. Her husband refused to divorce her, but in 1649 she received a considerable sum of money from him.
In 1653 her daughter Catharina married Johannes Vermeer
Johannes Vermeer
Johannes, Jan or Johan Vermeer was a Dutch painter who specialized in exquisite, domestic interior scenes of middle class life. Vermeer was a moderately successful provincial genre painter in his lifetime...
in Schipluiden
Schipluiden
Schipluiden is a village in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is the seat of the council of the municipality of Midden-Delfland....
but it is not exactly known when the couple moved in at her rather spacious house on Oude Langendijk. Vermeer had his atelier on the front side of the second floor.
Maria Thins apparently played an important role in their life. She was a devotee of the Jesuit order in the nearby Catholic Church, and this seems to have influenced Johannes and Catherina too. Their third son was called Ignatius, after the founder of the Jesuit Order
Ignatius of Loyola
Ignatius of Loyola was a Spanish knight from a Basque noble family, hermit, priest since 1537, and theologian, who founded the Society of Jesus and was its first Superior General. Ignatius emerged as a religious leader during the Counter-Reformation...
. It is not known if the children were baptized in the Catholic Church, because baptismal records from that period are no longer extant.
In 1663 her son Willem, a jobless bachelor, was locked up in an institution after an argument with his mother, and for attacking his pregnant sister Catharina with a stick. In 1665 Maria Thins was entrusted with her son's property. She was not required by law to limit his share to the legal minimum, but she mentioned that he had been calling her names since his youth.
In 1672 Maria Thins got into financial difficulties: her land near Schoonhoven
Schoonhoven
Schoonhoven is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality has a population of 12,195 , and covers an area of 6.96 km²...
was flooded to prevent the French army crossing the Dutch Water Line
Dutch Water Line
The Dutch Water Line was a series of water based defences conceived by Maurice of Nassau in the early 17th century, and realised by his half brother Frederick Henry...
. In 1675, when Vermeer went on several business trips for his mother-in-law, first to Gouda, when her husband had died, and then to Amsterdam. There he cheated her and borrowed money by fraudulently using her name. Vermeer got into a frenzy
Phrenitis
The term phrenitis was employed in ancient Greece by Hippocrates and his followers. It refers to acute inflammation of mind and body, not in a theoretical but in a descriptive sense. Its presumed seat was never anatomically or conceptually well determined...
, as his wife wrote, because of all their financial difficulties, and died suddenly. After Vermeer's death, Maria Thins stated that she used her income to help support the struggling painter and his growing family. For her help she received The Art of Painting
The Art of Painting
The Art of Painting, also known as The Allegory of Painting, and or Painter in his Studio, is a famous 17th century oil on canvas painting by Dutch painter, Johannes Vermeer. Many art historians believe that it is an allegory of painting, hence the alternative title of the painting...
, one of the finest, most mysterious and famous paintings in the history of Western Art. In 1676 she lived in the Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
but moved back to Delft where, upon her death, she was buried in the protestant Old Church on 27 Dec 1680, next to Vermeer. The burial record states that she died as the widow of Rijnier Bolnes. Catharina moved to Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
. Her daughter Catharina Bollenes (Bolnes) received "Holy Oil", according to the records of the Roman Catholic parish of St Joseph, before being buried on 30 Dec 1687.
External links
- http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-17942747.html
- http://www.vermeerscamera.co.uk/reply4.htm
- http://www.bergerfoundation.ch/