Heilige Maagd met het Kind 1659

Gesina ter Borch created this watercolor of the Virgin and Child some time in the 17th century. Ter Borch, who never married, came from a family of artists in the Northern Netherlands, a culture that was predominately protestant. It's a really interesting image because it depicts a traditional Catholic subject at a time of religious and cultural transition in the Netherlands. We see this iconic image of the Madonna and child presented on a tiled floor reminiscent of a domestic interior. Here the Virgin is not just an icon, but a woman. It makes me wonder about Ter Borch herself, making a career as an unmarried woman at this time. This painting doesn’t merely replicate established religious narratives; it's a personal interpretation, reflecting her identity as a woman, an artist, and likely a person navigating a complex relationship with faith.