Maria Thins
Thins was a wealthy woman due to the separation settlement of her husband in 1649 and the estates she inherited from her family.
Her daughter Catharina married Johannes Vermeer, an artist, art dealer, and operator of the family's inn in Delft.
Thins reduced the money she provided to Catharina and her husband due to the loss of income during that period.
Maria was born c. 1593 in Gouda to a prominent Dutch Catholic family,[1] Catharina van Hensbeeck (d. 1633) and William Thin (d.
[3] She also had a sister Cornelia and a brother Jan.[4] Since none of her siblings married, Thins ultimately inherited a large estate.
[4] The family conducted mass in their home, while at the time it was illegal for a group of Roman Catholics to assemble in Gouda.
[4][7] At the age of nine, Catharina ran to neighbors because she thought that Reynier's abuse of Cornelia could kill her.
Reynier confessed that he physically abused Cornelia and would do it again if Thins beat their son Willem.
Reynier and Willem began eating separately from the female members of the family, and the father encouraged his son to be abusive and noncompliant with Thins.
[18] In 1664, Thin's son Willem, a jobless bachelor, was locked up in an institution after an argument with his mother, and for attacking Catharina, his pregnant sister, with a stick.
[22] By 1652, Vermeer helped his mother run the family's inn and was an art dealer, taking over his deceased father's business.
[25] By December 1660, the Vermeers lived in the large house of his wealthy mother-in-law Maria Thins, described as a "strong-willed" woman.
[26] Vermeer relied on Thin's residence and financial support to take care of his family.
[29] Biographer Anthony Bailey claims that since Vermeer used models from his household, it is likely that he made a painting of his wife.
He asserts that Catharina is depicted in A Lady Writing a Letter due to her "fond expression" and "concentrated gaze of the unseen painter.
[35] The Rampjaar (disaster year) following the outbreak of the Franco-Dutch War (1672–1674) was particularly hard on Vermeer's ability to make money as an artist and an art dealer.
In one instance, she rented out land near Schoonhoven that was flooded to prevent the French army from crossing the Dutch Water Line.
Unable to pay their debts, Catharina blamed the financial fallout of the war for their losses and petitioned for bankruptcy in April 1676.
[32] After Vermeer's death, Maria Thins received The Art of Painting for her financial support of Catharina's family.
[42] Thins crafted her will to maximize her grandchildren's support and education, preventing her estate from going to Catharina's creditors.
