Ode to Catrina HooghsaetWhat did they talk about: Catrina and Rembrandt
Portrait of Catrina Hooghsaet, by Rembrandt in 1657, private collection
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One of Rembrandt's finest works is the portrait he painted of Catrina Hooghsaet. She posed for him in 1657, when she was 50 years old. In the painting, her gaze goes to her parrot, which sits on a perch to her left. Apparently she was very attached to the creature.
Catrina lived all her life in Amsterdam. Her second marriage, to fabric dyer and pastor Hendrick Rooleeuw, was not a success, and I say that cautiously. Both spouses bombarded each other with lawsuits. When
Hendrick accused Catrina of slander, they had had enough and the Baptist church intervened. Catrina and Hendrick were allowed to separate, which was unusual, but on the condition that they reconcile. Nothing of the sort: Catrina went to live independently and made no effort to save the marriage. As punishment, the church excluded her from the sacrament.
“What would the bankrupt painter and the feisty lady, both rebellious in their own way, have been talking about?”
Ten years later, Catrina asked for a review of her sentence. She could, but she would have to ask for forgiveness, which she refused. Only after the mediation of an aunt and niece did she give in. This is how things stood in 1657, when Rembrandt portrayed her. Catrina poses in new clothes purchased for the occasion, simply Baptist in cut, but of luxurious materials.
1657 is also the year Rembrandt had himself declared bankrupt. I would love to book a time machine trip to be at the posing party. What would the bankrupt painter and the feisty lady, both rebellious in their own way, have been
been talking about? If only I knew.
Period
1606– 1684
About
Ode by Maaike Dirkx to Catrina Hooghsaet.
Catrina, who flouted church and conventions at a time when that was not accepted.
A decisive woman who managed to extricate herself from her unhappy marriage, was punished by the Mennonite church as a result, but did not allow herself to be intimidated. She was fearless in a time when that was not tolerated from women.
Catrina Hooghsaet
Catrina Hoogsaet (Amsterdam, 1607 - there, 1685), also called Trijn Jans, was a Baptist woman, who had her portrait done by Rembrandt van Rijn after his bankruptcy. Her portrait is in private possession.