Category: Uncategorized
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The Woman Behind Vermeer: Publication and Podcast on Maria de Knuijt
In March 2023, during the Vermeer Symposium at the Rijksmuseum, Judith Noorman and Piet Bakker presented new research identifying Maria de Knuijt as Vermeer’s primary patron and protector. Their findings challenge the long-held assumption that the Delft collector Pieter van Ruijven was Vermeer’s main client. By uncovering new documents and reexamining earlier sources, Judith and Piet show a different picture: it was Van Ruijven’s wife, Maria…
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Edited Volume Following The Female Impact Symposium
We are delighted to announce a forthcoming edited volume based on the presentations and discussions from The Female Impact Symposium, held on June 30 and July 1, 2025, at the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam. The volume will be published in Brill’s Studies on Art, Art History, and Intellectual History, a series which is edited by Walter Melion. It will…
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Interview in Kleio: Women on the Seventeenth-Century Art Market
Project member Marleen Puyenbroek was recently interviewed for Kleio, the Dutch magazine for history teachers. The special issue “Meer kleur in de klas met kunst” was guest-edited by Christie Klinkert (Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem). In conversation with Maud Wilbrink, Marleen discusses her research on working women in the seventeenth-century art market — from paint sellers to art dealers — and reflects on why these women…
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Master’s Students Create Magazine on Wendela Bicker
How do you interpret archival traces to uncover the life of a 17th-century woman? Three Master’s students took on that challenge during a tutorial led by Judith Noorman, resulting in a thorough and beautifully designed magazine about Wendela Bicker, the wife of Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt. For four weeks, students Kirsten van Tunen, Bente…
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Judith Noorman’s Keynote Talk at the Center for Netherlandish Art
Since early April, Judith has been in residence at the Center for Netherlandish Art in Boston, where she serves as the second Hans Brenninckmeyer Senior Fellow. On Thursday May 15, she will deliver a Keynote Talk at the CNA, presenting new findings from our ongoing research project, The Female Impact. Her lecture will open a scholarly day of presentations—the third…
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New Perspective on the Portrait of Geertruida den Dubbelde
During her internship with The Female Impact and the Rijksmuseum, Anne-Linde Ruiter explored the pendant portrait of Geertruida den Dubbelde, wife of Admiral Aert van Nes. Through close visual and archival analysis, combined with research into the roles of seafarers’ wives, Ruiter proposes a new interpretation of Den Dubbelde’s gesture and the maritime background in her portrait. Rather than a passive depiction…
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New NKJ Volume Explores Women in Art – Read Open Access Here
The 74th volume of the Netherlands Yearbook for History of Art (Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek) has just been published. This edition, titled Women. Female Roles in Art and Society of the Netherlands, explores the diverse roles of women in the arts of the Low Countries—as creators, patrons, buyers, and agents of change. Edited by Elizabeth Alice Honig, Judith Noorman, and Thijs…
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‘Elck heeft sijn eijgen pop’
Judith Noorman contributed an essay to Campaspe Talks Back. Women Who Made a Difference in Early Modern Art (eds. Lieke van Deinsen, Bert Schepers, Marjan Sterckx, Hans Vlieghe, Bert Watteeuw). The book book pays homage to prof. dr. Katlijne Van der Stighelen who recently retired at Leuven University. Judith’s essay is about women dollmakers and about dolls as social signifiers. Title: ‘Elck heeft sijn eijgen pop’: Dollmaker…
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Femke Valkhoff Wins Thesis Prize
Femke Valkhoff, a former intern of The Female Impact, has won the DZE Thesis Prize from the Seventeenth Century Studies Group (Werkgroep De Zeventiende Eeuw) for her master’s thesis ‘Out of the Shadows,’ which explores the role of Haarlem brewers within their family, the brewery, and as art buyers for the household. Her thesis supervisor was…
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Save the Date & Call for Papers: The Female Impact Symposium
Mark your calendars for the 30th of June and the 1st of July 2025, when we will gather at the Trippenhuis for the culminating symposium of The Female Impact project. This landmark event will showcase four years of research through presentations from our project members and esteemed guest speakers. Alongside engaging discussions, we will offer…