This absorbing monograph is the first to detail the captivating life and oeuvre of the Dutch artist Gesina ter Borch.

Gesina ter Borch (1631–1690), a Dutch watercolorist and draftswoman—and the younger half-sister of painter Gerard ter Borch (1617–1681)—is one of the most well-known women artists of the seventeenth-century Dutch Republic. Her oeuvre is securely attributed and thoroughly catalogued, with three albums of her watercolors and calligraphy known today; surprisingly, though, she has never been the subject of an independent monograph or sustained discussion. This volume is the first to highlight her watercolors and calligraphy in their own right, alongside documentation of her work as an art teacher, archivist, and artist’s model.

Adam Eaker revisits Ter Borch’s role during the genesis of Dutch “high-life” genre painting and, in doing so, examines the construction of gender and social classes by comparing her art with that of her brother. In this monograph, Eaker questions a historiography of women’s art that frequently valorizes painting over other media and values work for the market over “amateur” production. Gesina ter Borch offers a fascinating exploration of Ter Borch’s life and work and a more nuanced understanding of the ideologies and achievements of Dutch genre painting.

Adam Eaker is associate curator of European Paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His recent publications include Van Dyck and the Making of English Portraiture (2022).