Vrouw met het stoffelijk overschot van haar geliefde - Gesina ter Borch

A delicate seventeenth-century Dutch illustration from the personal album of Gesina ter Borch, featuring a mourning figure beside a coffin with accompanying calligraphy.

This delicate work by Gesina ter Borch originates from her personal album, a collection that offers a rare glimpse into the private artistic pursuits of a seventeenth-century Dutch woman. The composition features a woman standing beside a coffin, holding a small bundle of greenery, while the surrounding page is filled with elegant, flowing calligraphy. The text, written in Dutch, provides a poetic context for the scene, exploring themes of grief and devotion that were common in the literary culture of the period.

Ter Borch, a member of a family of painters, demonstrates a refined hand in this piece. The figure of the woman is rendered with careful attention to her period dress, including the apron and skirt, while the figure in the coffin is depicted with a serene, pale quality. The contrast between the dark, solid form of the coffin and the lighter, more fluid depiction of the woman creates a clear visual narrative. The work is characteristic of the amateur yet highly skilled artistic output found in the albums of the Dutch elite, where poetry and drawing were often combined to express personal sentiment.

As a fine art print, this piece retains the character of the original manuscript page. The sepia-toned ink of the calligraphy complements the soft colours used for the figure, making it a piece that rewards close inspection. It is a quiet, contemplative work that captures the intersection of visual art and literature in the seventeenth century. The preservation of the original paper texture and the slight fading of the ink contribute to the historical authenticity of the print, offering a window into the domestic life and creative habits of the ter Borch household.