Geertje Dircx

Who was Geertje Dircx?

Geertje Dircx [ˈɣɪːrcə dɪrks] was the lover of Rembrandt van Rijn after the death of his wife Saskia. She was hired as a wetnurse to the painter's son Titus, but lived with Rembrandt as his lover for several years. The relationship broke up acrimoniously, leading to a lengthy court-case for breach of promise, in which she claimed maintenance from Rembrandt. She was eventually imprisoned after displaying increasingly unstable behaviour.

She may be the model for a number of Rembrandt's works, but there is disagreement about which images depict her.