Maria Verelst

Maria Verelst (1680–1744) was an 18th-century English painter.

Verelst was born in Vienna. According to the RKD she was the daughter and pupil of the Dutch painter Herman Verelst, the niece and pupil of his brother Simon Pietersz Verelst, and the sister of Cornelis Verelst. She is known for miniatures and portraits.

According to Weyerman, she overheard some Dutch men in a London theatre speaking about artists in their native language and she corrected them. The gentlemen excused themselves and continued speaking in Italian. She corrected them again, and they continued in Latin with the remark that they would not be interrupted in that language again. When she again spoke, it was to insist that women could not be barred from learning languages, despite the fact that they were not allowed to participate in public proceedings. The gentlemen were so impressed they inquired of her occupation and came to visit her the next day bearing gifts and to order their portraits made. She died in London.

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