Heer die een dame het hof maakt - Gesina ter Borch

A delicate seventeenth-century watercolour from the personal album of Gesina ter Borch, depicting a gentleman courting a lady alongside calligraphic verse.

This delicate work by Gesina ter Borch originates from her personal album, a collection of drawings, watercolours, and transcriptions of poetry that offers a rare glimpse into the private life and cultural interests of a seventeenth-century Dutch woman. The composition features a small, finely rendered scene at the base of a page filled with calligraphic verse. A gentleman stands, hat in hand, gesturing towards a seated lady who is occupied with needlework. The figures are depicted with the precise observation characteristic of the Ter Borch family, reflecting the social customs and fashion of the period.

Gesina ter Borch was the sister of the painter Gerard ter Borch, and her artistic output is closely linked to the domestic sphere. Unlike the large-scale oil paintings produced by her male contemporaries for the open market, her work often functioned within a social circle of family and friends. The inclusion of the text suggests that the image serves as an illustration or a visual accompaniment to the verses above it, blending literary and visual arts. The figures are small in scale, yet they possess a distinct presence, captured through careful ink outlines and subtle washes of colour. The contrast between the sparse, white space of the page and the concentrated detail of the figures creates a sense of intimacy. This piece provides insight into the amateur artistic practices of the Dutch Golden Age, where drawing and poetry were integrated into the daily lives of the educated classes. The preservation of such albums allows for a better understanding of how personal narratives were constructed through the combination of text and image.