Geertje Dircx

Geertje Dircx (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɣeːrcə ˈdɪr(ə)ks]; c. 1610-1615 – c. 1656) was the lover of Rembrandt van Rijn after the death of his wife Saskia. She was hired as a nurse 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" (a euphemism for seduction under [breached] promise to marry), in which she claimed maintenance from Rembrandt. On Rembrandt's initiative, she was eventually imprisoned in a workhouse on charges of having descended into a life of loose morals. After her release she made attempts to sue Rembrandt for wrongful imprisonment.

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

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