Geertje Dircx

Geertje Dircx (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɣeːrtɕə ˈdɪr(ə)ks]; c. 1610–1615 – c. 1656) was the lover of Rembrandt van Rijn after the death of his wife Saskia.

[8] 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.

[5] In the summer of 1650, Rembrandt participated in an effort to have Geertje sent to the "spinhuis" in Gouda, a women's house of correction, sometimes referred to as an insane asylum.

[10] Historian Patrick Hunt describes it as "virtual prison for destitute and diseased prostitutes as well as an asylum for the mentally unhinged.

In 1655 she became ill. A friend of hers named Trijn Jacobs eventually managed to persuade the council to intervene on her behalf and Geertje was freed from prison, having been confined for five years.

According to Christoph Driessen, “[t]he audacity and tenaciousness she showed to fight the highly respected and established Rembrandt command one’s admiration”.

[13] Rembrandt filed a counter-suit and secured an order that her brother Peter must not leave the Netherlands as he was required as a witness (he was intending to work as a carpenter on board a ship bound for India).

Rembrandt's financial situation had deteriorated seriously during this period, and Geertje's new demands may have been the "final straw" that led to his filing for bankruptcy.

In literature author Simone van der Vlugt sets out to rehabilitate Geertje's reputation offering a surprising perspective in her 2019 historical novel Schilderslief.