Saskia van Uylenburg
Encyclopedia
Saskia van Uylenburgh (August 2, 1612, Leeuwarden, Friesland
– June 14, 1642 in Amsterdam
) was the daughter of a Frisian
mayor
. She did not marry an academic, but became the wife of painter Rembrandt van Rijn, who was the son of a wealthy miller from Leiden. In the course of her life she was his model for some of his paintings, drawings and etching
s.
Asteroid
461 Saskia
is named in her honour.
, a top lawyer, a town burgomaster
and one of the founders of the University of Franeker
. Saskia (in Friesland
called Saske) became an orphan at age twelve, following the death of her mother in 1619 and her father five years later. It is supposed she met Rembrandt at the home of her uncle, Hendrick van Uylenburgh
, a painter and an art dealer, who had emigrated from Friesland to Kraków
in Poland with his parents, but had decided in 1625 to move to the Dutch Republic
, when there was growing tolerance after the death of Maurice of Orange
.
Saskia was raised by her sister Hiskje and the husband and custodian of this, Gerard van Loo, who was a lawyer and secretary for the grietenij
. For a while she lived in Franeker when her sister Antje was ill. After Antje's burial and until her marriage Saskia helped out her brother-in-law, the Polish theology professor Johannes Maccovius
.
In 1631 and in the company of the mennonite
painters Govert Flinck
and Jacob Backer
, Saskia traveled to Amsterdam. There she met Rembrandt, who produced paintings and portraits for Uylenburgh's Amsterdam clients.
In turn Rembrandt travelled to Leeuwarden, where he was received by the painter Wybrand de Geest
, who had married Saskia's niece.
Saskia and Rembrandt were engaged in 1633, and on 10 June 1634 Rembrandt asked permission to marry in Sint Annaparochie
. He showed his mother's written consent to the schepen
. On 2 July the couple married in Het Bildt
. The preacher was a cousin of Saskia, but it seems no one of Rembrandt's family attended the marriage. In 1635 the couple moved to one of the posh streets in Amsterdam, the Nieuwe Doelenstraat, with prominent neighbors and a view on the river Amstel.
Rembrandt gained financial success through his artwork, and decided in 1639 to buy to a house in the Jodenbreestraat
, next to the place where he worked. A year before, by July 16, 1638, Saskia's Friesian relatives complained that Saskia was spoiling her inheritance. Rembrandt asked his brother-in-law Ulricus van Uylenburgh, also a lawyer, to help them out, confirming he was successful and able to pay for the house.
Three of their children died shortly after birth and were buried in the nearby Zuiderkerk. The only that survived was Titus
, who was named after his mother's sister Titia (Tietje) van Uylenburgh. Saskia died the following year, aged 29, probably from tuberculosis
. She was buried in the Oude Kerk
.
Saskia allowed Rembrandt to use their son's inheritance, as long as he did not remarry. If Titus died without issue, Rembrandt was to be the heir of the moveable property. Rembrandt hired Geertje Dircx
as a wetnurse, who would a few years later expect him to marry her. In 1662 Rembrandt, for several years being in financial trouble, sold Saskia's grave.
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
– June 14, 1642 in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
) was the daughter of a Frisian
Frisians
The Frisians are a Germanic ethnic group native to the coastal parts of the Netherlands and Germany. They are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, East Frisia and North Frisia, that was a part of Denmark until 1864. They inhabit an area known as Frisia...
mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
. She did not marry an academic, but became the wife of painter Rembrandt van Rijn, who was the son of a wealthy miller from Leiden. In the course of her life she was his model for some of his paintings, drawings and etching
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal...
s.
Asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
461 Saskia
461 Saskia
461 Saskia is a Themistian asteroid discovered by Max Wolf on October 22, 1900. Its provisional name was 1900 FP....
is named in her honour.
Life
Saskia was born in Leeuwarden as the youngest of eight children by Sjoukje Ozinga and Rombertus van UylenburghRombertus van Uylenburgh
Rombertus van Uylenburgh or Rombout van Uylenborgh is best known as the father of Saskia van Uylenburgh, the wife of Rembrandt. Rombertus was one of the founders of the University of Franeker in 1585...
, a top lawyer, a town burgomaster
Burgomaster
Burgomaster is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or chairman of the executive council of a sub-national level of administration...
and one of the founders of the University of Franeker
University of Franeker
The University of Franeker was a university in Franeker, Friesland, presently part of the Netherlands. It was the second oldest university of the Netherlands, founded shortly after Leiden University....
. Saskia (in Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
called Saske) became an orphan at age twelve, following the death of her mother in 1619 and her father five years later. It is supposed she met Rembrandt at the home of her uncle, Hendrick van Uylenburgh
Hendrick van Uylenburgh
Hendrick van Uylenburgh was an influential Dutch Golden Age art dealer who helped launch the careers of Rembrandt, Govert Flinck, Ferdinand Bol and other painters....
, a painter and an art dealer, who had emigrated from Friesland to Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
in Poland with his parents, but had decided in 1625 to move to the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
, when there was growing tolerance after the death of Maurice of Orange
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange was sovereign Prince of Orange from 1618, on the death of his eldest half brother, Philip William, Prince of Orange,...
.
Saskia was raised by her sister Hiskje and the husband and custodian of this, Gerard van Loo, who was a lawyer and secretary for the grietenij
Grietenij
A grietenij was a forerunner to the gemeente or municipality in Frisia, particularly inFriesland, and also in Groningen which are now a part of the Netherlands. From the end of the...
. For a while she lived in Franeker when her sister Antje was ill. After Antje's burial and until her marriage Saskia helped out her brother-in-law, the Polish theology professor Johannes Maccovius
Johannes Maccovius
Johannes Maccovius , also known as Jan Makowski, was a Polish Reformed theologian...
.
In 1631 and in the company of the mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
painters Govert Flinck
Govert Flinck
Govert Teuniszoon Flinck was a Dutch painter of the Dutch Golden Age.-Life:Born at Kleve, he was apprenticed by his father to a silk mercer, but having secretly acquired a passion for drawing, was sent to Leeuwarden, where he boarded in the house of Lambert Jacobszoon, a Mennonite, better known...
and Jacob Backer
Jacob Adriaensz Backer
Jacob Adriaensz Backer was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He produced about 140 paintings in twenty years. In his style he was influenced by Wybrand de Geest, Rubens and Abraham Bloemaert. Also his drawings are highly interesting and skillful...
, Saskia traveled to Amsterdam. There she met Rembrandt, who produced paintings and portraits for Uylenburgh's Amsterdam clients.
In turn Rembrandt travelled to Leeuwarden, where he was received by the painter Wybrand de Geest
Wybrand de Geest
Wybrand Simonsz. de Geest was a Dutch Golden Age portrait painter from Friesland.-Biography:...
, who had married Saskia's niece.
Saskia and Rembrandt were engaged in 1633, and on 10 June 1634 Rembrandt asked permission to marry in Sint Annaparochie
Sint Annaparochie
Sint Annaparochie is the principal and largest town of the municipality of Het Bildt in Friesland, the Netherlands. It lies approximately 15 km northwest of Leeuwarden and has approximately four thousand inhabitants. The town is named after Saint Anne, the mother of Mary.St. Annaparochie was...
. He showed his mother's written consent to the schepen
Schepen
A schepen is a Dutch word referring to a municipal civic office in Dutch-speaking countries. The term is still in use in Belgium, but it has been replaced by wethouder in the Netherlands. The closest English terms are alderman, member of the municipal executive, councillor and magistrate,...
. On 2 July the couple married in Het Bildt
Het Bildt
het Bildt is a municipality in the province of Friesland in the northern Netherlands; its capital is Sint Annaparochie. As of 1 November 2006 it had a population of 10,975. Het Bildt has 15.4 kilometers of coastline...
. The preacher was a cousin of Saskia, but it seems no one of Rembrandt's family attended the marriage. In 1635 the couple moved to one of the posh streets in Amsterdam, the Nieuwe Doelenstraat, with prominent neighbors and a view on the river Amstel.
Jodenbreestraat
The Jodenbreestraat is a street in the centre of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The street runs from the Sint Antoniesluis sluice gates to the Mr. Visserplein traffic circle...
, next to the place where he worked. A year before, by July 16, 1638, Saskia's Friesian relatives complained that Saskia was spoiling her inheritance. Rembrandt asked his brother-in-law Ulricus van Uylenburgh, also a lawyer, to help them out, confirming he was successful and able to pay for the house.
Three of their children died shortly after birth and were buried in the nearby Zuiderkerk. The only that survived was Titus
Titus van Rijn
Titus van Rijn was the fourth and only surviving child of Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn and Saskia van Uylenburgh...
, who was named after his mother's sister Titia (Tietje) van Uylenburgh. Saskia died the following year, aged 29, probably from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. She was buried in the Oude Kerk
Oude Kerk (Amsterdam)
The Oude Kerk is Amsterdam’s oldest parish church, consecrated in 1306 by the bishop of Utrecht with Saint Nicolas as its patron saint. It stands in De Wallen, now Amsterdam's main red-light district. The square surrounding the church is the Oudekerksplein.The bust of famous organist and composer...
.
Saskia allowed Rembrandt to use their son's inheritance, as long as he did not remarry. If Titus died without issue, Rembrandt was to be the heir of the moveable property. Rembrandt hired Geertje Dircx
Geertje Dircx
Geertje Dircx was hired by Rembrandt van Rijn as a wetnurse to the painter's son Titus 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,...
as a wetnurse, who would a few years later expect him to marry her. In 1662 Rembrandt, for several years being in financial trouble, sold Saskia's grave.