Unforgettable highlights over forty female artists from the seventeenth-century Low Countries, challenging their historical obscurity and showcasing their diverse contributions to art.
The catalogue will spotlight the overlooked contributions of female artists in the seventeenth-century Low Countries. While renowned male artists like Rembrandt and Vermeer have long dominated art history, female artists such as Clara Peeters and Michaelina Wautier have received limited recognition.
This books challenges the notion that women were exceptions in the art world, showcasing works by over forty artists across diverse media, including painting, sculpture, embroidery, and glass etching. It also highlights the socio-economic contexts that shaped their careers, exploring themes of identity, ambition, social expectations, and artistic networks. By reevaluating the hierarchy between ""fine"" and ""applied"" arts, the book underscores the significant role women played in the artistic economy. Through a thematic approach, Unforgettable aims to restore long-overdue recognition to these artists.
Featuring works by: Maria Monincx, Johanna Koerten, Anna Maria De Koker, Maria Verelst, Maria De Grebber, Maria Strick, Elisabeth Rijberg, Josina Margareta Weenix, Anna Maria Janssens Cornelia Van Der Mijn e.a.
By:
Virginia Treanor,
Frederica Van Dam,
Manfred Sellink,
Susan Fisher
Imprint: Hannibal Books
Country of Publication: Belgium
Dimensions:
Height: 305mm,
Width: 230mm,
ISBN: 9789493416277
ISBN 10: 9493416275
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 20 September 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
I. Foreword II. Introduction III. Identity a. Essay: The Presence of the Artist. Self-Development, Self-Improvement, and Self-Representation b. Essay: Gender and Genre c. Essay: The Voice of Maria Faydherbe d. Cluster note: Identity e. Cluster note: Tradition & Ambition IV. Choices a. Essay: Spiritual Daughters in the Artistic Economy of the Southern Netherlands b. Essay: Women and the Reality of Lace-making c. Essay: Women and Religious Life d. Cluster note: Family Ties e. Cluster note: Social Expectations V. Local and Global Networks a. Essay: Women in the Art Trade b. Essay: Female Clientele c. Essay: Women, Art, and Science d. Cluster note: Local Networks e. Cluster note: Global Networks VI. Value & Legacy a. Essay: Women in Museum Collections b. Essay: Judith Leyster and the Art Market c. Cluster note: Value and Legacy VII. Checklist of Illustrated/Exhibited Works VIII. Bibliography: IX. Index with Page References X. Colophon and Photo Credits
Dr. Frederica Van Dam is the Curator of Old Masters at MSK Ghent. Specializing in Early Modern Flemish painting, she co-curated Van Eyck - An Optical Revolution and led the first monographic show on Theodoor Rombouts. Dr. Virginia Treanor is the Senior Curator at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington, D.C. She earned her Ph.D. in seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish art from the University of Maryland. Since joining NMWA in 2012, Dr. Treanor has curated numerous exhibitions, including multiple installments of the ""Women to Watch"" series.
Reviews for Unforgettable: Women Artists from Antwerp to Amsterdam, 1600-1750
""Netherlandish painting is renowned, in part, for its masterly representation of fine fabrics, ornate glass and other sumptuous materials. Producing those objects was no less an art, however... [this book] celebrates both kinds of achievement, introducing skilled craftswomen, art dealers and patrons, as well as women painters and sculptors whose works today line museum walls. Enthusiasts of the Dutch and Flemish Golden Age will be delighted to learn of the more quotidian arts that rounded out this visually rich epoch: hand-wrought lace, calligraphy, botanical illustrations and more. Maybe the heights of artistry are best achieved when they aren't reserved for galleries but instead are modeled in all corners of life.""--Suzanna Murawski ""Wall Street Journal, Best Holiday Gift Books 2025""
