Judith Leyster

Judith Leyster (* 1609 in Haarlem, † 1660 in Heemstede ) was a Dutch painter of the 17th century. It is regarded as one of the few female painters of the Golden Age, whose work is preserved. Her work has been assigned to the Baroque.

Life

Judith Jans Leyster was born as the eighth of nine children of Trijn Jasperdr and Jan Willensz Leyster in Haarlem and was baptized on 28 July 1609. Her father worked as a draper and was the owner of the brewery " De Leystarre " in the beacon eaters canal ( from which it derived its name ), but had to declare bankruptcy in 1624. It is unclear with whom Judith Leyster received her education. Samuel Ampzing in Judith Leyster in its 1626-1627 edited Beschrijvinge end lof the stad Haerlem in Holland as an active artist. 1628 the family moved to Vreeland near Utrecht, where the painter may have had contact with the Utrecht Caravaggists Hendrick Terbrugghen and Gerrit van Honthorst. In September 1629 her parents moved to Zaandam, near Amsterdam, which is not occupied, how long the artist stayed with her parents before she returned to Haarlem. Busy is their presence as godmother at the baptism of Frans Hals daughter Maria in November 1631.

On June 1, 1636 Judith Leyster married the painter Jan Miense Molenaer in Heemstede. In this marriage the children Johannus (1637 ), Jacobus ( 1639 ) Helen (1643 ), Eva ( 1646) and Constantijn (1650), were born. The couple first lived in Amsterdam before 1648 they bought a house in Heemstede. From the time after the wedding a few works Judith Leysters are known. On the one hand, the artist took care of her family and the household, on the other hand she shared with her ​​husband, models and props, and both worked alternately with the images of each other, which today makes it difficult clear attributions. Judith Leyster died in Heemstede and was buried there on 10 February 1660.

Work

As early as 1629 began Judith Leyster to sign their pictures and date. It maintained his own studio in 1633 and is one of only two female members of the St. Luke's Guild. Many of the works of Judith Leyster show the influence of Frans Hals, and it has long been suspected that she was his student. However, recent research has seen a stronger connection to the images of Dirck Hals. In 1635, Judith Leyster had three students. One - Willem Wouters - moved to their wedding illegally into the studio of Frans Hals. Judith Leyster sued the mother of the student in front of St. Luke's Guild on payment of school fees in the amount of eight guilders, which was awarded to her in half. Frans Hals reimbursed her more then three guilders.

Judith Leysters work includes portraits, still life, allegories, botanical drawings and at least one etching. Most striking, however, are their genre paintings in which she presented in small, intimate, candle-lit scenes issues of daily life. In her paintings are usually one or two people to see which children belonged to their favorite models. Their motives are boys the flute, lute or violin playing, mothers who sew or their children comb the hair, men seduce women, cheaters or backgammon players and revelers in pubs.

Rediscovery

Although the contemporaries of Judith Leyster their work much appreciated, the painter and her work for a long time remained forgotten. Your pictures were gone lost or Frans Hals were attributed. It was only in 1893 discovered the Louvre on an image under the false signature of Frans Hals, the monogram of Judith Leyster. Meanwhile, 48 works are considered authentic works by the artist and twelve more are handed down from descriptions of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Her work is among others in the following collections:

• Mauritshuis, The Hague
• Museum Boerhaave, Leiden
• Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
• Musée du Louvre, Paris
• National Gallery, London
• Nationalmuseet, Stockholm
• National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington DC
• National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
• Suermondt Ludwig Museum, Aachen

Gallery

The Concert (1631-1633) National Museum of Women in the Arts Washington, D.C.

Funny Society (1630 ) Musée du Louvre Paris

The Tric -Tra - game ( 1630) Worcester Art Museum Worcester, MA

Boy and girl with cat and eel (ca. 1635) National Gallery London

The funny Zecher ( 1629) National Museums - Art Gallery Berlin

Serenade ( 1629) Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

Young Flute Player (ca. 1635) National Museum Stockholm