Geertje Dircx

Geertje Dircx [ˈɣɪːrcə dɪrks] (c. 1610-1615 – c. 1656) was the lover of Rembrandt van Rijn after the death of his wife Saskia. She was hired as a wetnurse to the painter's son Titus, but lived with Rembrandt as his lover for several years. The relationship broke up acrimoniously, leading to a lengthy court-case for "breach of promise" (a euphemism for seduction under [breached] promise to marry), in which she claimed maintenance from Rembrandt. She was eventually imprisoned after displaying increasingly unstable behaviour. After her release she tried to sue Rembrandt for wrongful imprisonment.

She may be the model for a number of Rembrandt's works, but there is disagreement about which images depict her.

Geertje was born in Edam. Between 1630 and 1640, she worked in an inn in Hoorn. At some point she was married to Abraham Claesz, a trumpeter, but her husband died. After that she lodged with her brother Pieter, a ship's carpenter in Waterland. It was possibly through him that she got to know Rembrandt.

She entered Rembrandt's service in around 1643, as a childless widow. She lived with Rembrandt for six years in the Sint Antoniesbreestraat and nursed his son Titus, 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.

In May 1649 she 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. In October Geertje complained that she had to pawn jewellery in order to survive. Rembrandt paid her 200 guilders to redeem the jewellery and agreed to increase her stipend to 160 guilders a year.

Geertje, however, refused to accept this settlement, claiming that it would not cover her expenses if she became seriously ill or infirm. 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. She summoned Rembrandt before the Commissioners of Marital Affairs on a charge of breach of promise and took his gifts such as a diamond ring to a pawnbroker's to fund the case. The commissioners raised the annual sum to 200 guilders. The court particularly stated that Rembrandt had to pay a maintenance allowance, provided that Titus remained her only heir and she sold none of Rembrandt's possessions.

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