CdR

Cornelia de Rijck (born 1656 - died between 1710 - 1727). Female painter, daughter of painter Willem de Rijck who worked in Antwerp and London. According to the exhibition catalogue on female painters "Elck zijn waerom", Antwerp, 1999 she worked in Delft, but the Delft internet archives yield no confirmation. She is said to have married the painter Gerrit van Goor (died c.1694). Her painted work may be compared to that of animal painter Melchior d'Hondecoeter. She died in Amsterdam before 1717 according to the said catalogue.

A set of 116 watercolors of Tropical insects from Surinam, once collected by S. Schijnvoet, is now in the Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien in Stockholm. That work was documentary in character.

Female painters were not enrolled in the Guild but they did play a role in producing paintings in the lower price range - of up to a few guilders a piece. They were also employed to peddle these or other paintings in the street. Known female painters in Delft are Cornelia de Rijck, Maria van Oosterwyck and her assistant Geertje Pieters. Then we find Maria van Pruyssen. Of this group Maria van Oosterwyck has the off position of a highly paid 'art amateur' who was really painting on a professional level.

Note. Exhibition catalogue on female painters "Elck zijn waerom", Antwerp, 1999, p. 190. Els Kloek, Vrouwen en kunst in de Republiek, een overzicht, Hilversum 1998, p. 160.

This page forms part of a large encyclopedic site on Delft. Research by Drs. Kees Kaldenbach (email). A full presentation is on view at johannesvermeer.info.

Launched 16 February 2001; Last update March 1, 2017. More info in the RKD site.