Gesina ter Borch (Deventer 15 November 1631 – Zwolle 16 April 1690) was a Dutch Golden Age watercolorist and draftswoman, whose work mostly consists of watercolor paintings in albums. Most of her work captured her observations of family life, current events, and fashionable people. In addition to the visual arts, Gesina wrote love poetry.

Biography

Gesina ter Borch was born on 15 November 1631 in Deventer in the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

. She was the first child of the third marriage of

Gerard ter Borch the Elder Gerard ter Borch (1583 in Zwolle – 1662 in Zwolle), was a Dutch Golden Age painter. According to Arnold Houbraken, who referred to him as Gerard Terburg's father, he was a good painter who had spent many years in Rome and who was the first ...

, who taught her to draw and paint. Her half-brother

Gerard ter Borch Gerard ter Borch (; December 1617 – 8 December 1681), also known as Gerard Terburg (), was a Dutch genre painter who lived in the Dutch Golden Age. He influenced fellow Dutch painters Gabriel Metsu, Gerrit Dou, Eglon van der Neer and Johann ...

II enjoyed artistic success and corresponded with Gesina frequently. After the loss of her younger brother, Moses, to the Second English War, Gesina's work conveyed her deep sadness.Gesina ter Borch
in the

RKD The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: RKD-Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center i ...

She lived her whole life on the Sassenstraat in

Zwolle Zwolle () is a city and municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Overijssel and the province's second-largest municipality after Enschede with a population of 130,592 as of 1 December 2021. Zwolle is on ...

, where she died on 16 April 1690. Gesina never married during her lifetime. In 1660, she became friends with Henrik Jordis, who was a merchant from Amsterdam and an amateur poet. This resulted in courtship.

Career

Gesina ter Borch was very successful during her artistic career. She also aided her older half-brother Gerard in a few of his pieces. Gesina was a model for many of the ladies that are depicted in Gerard's works ''Ladies in Satin.'' Gerard considered Gesina his favorite model for these works. She also furthered her art career on the side, while modeling for her brother. Gesina became a successful watercolorist. During her lifetime, she collected love poetry, and she made illustrations to coincide with it as well. Some albums of her work even included pieces dedicated to songs about love.

Works

While only one painting by Gesina ter Borch is known, three watercolor albums survive, as well as 59 loose sheets of drawings. Her work was not widely known during her lifetime, because she was an amateur rather than a professional artist. Between ages 14 and 15, Gesina began her first album, ''Materi-boeck.'' Between 1652 and 1660, she produced a second album with 116 sheets containing songs, poems, and illustrations. In March of 2021 Borch's work was added to the "Gallery of Honor" at the Rijksmuseum. Borch,

Judith Leyster Judith Jans Leyster (also Leijster; baptised July 28, 1609Molenaer, JudithNational Gallery of Art website. Accessed February 1, 2014. – February 10, 1660) was a Dutch Golden Age painter of genre works, portraits, and still lifes. Her work was ...

, and

Rachel Ruysch Rachel Ruysch (3 June 1664 – 12 October 1750) was a Dutch still-life painter from the Northern Netherlands. She specialized in flowers, inventing her own style and achieving international fame in her lifetime. Due to a long and successful caree ...

are the first women to be included in the gallery. File:Gesina ter Borch - echtelijke ruzie.jpg, File:Borch, Gerard Ter II and Borch, Gesina - Memorial Portrait of Moses ter Borch - 1667-69.jpg, File:Cornelis de Graeff (1650-1678).jpg,

References

External links

Gesina ter Borch
on Artnet {{DEFAULTSORT:Borch, Gesina ter 1633 births 1690 deaths Dutch Golden Age painters People from Zwolle Dutch women painters 17th-century women artists Sibling artists