CORNELIA TOE BOECOP | PORTRAIT OF OTT VAN BRONCKHORST, THREE-QUARTER LENGTH, WEARING A CAPE

Cornelia toe Boecop, a native of Kampen, received her training from her mother, Mechtelt toe Boecop (circa 1520 – 1598), who was herself an artist too. Although little is known of Cornelia's life, she first married Roderick van Harderwijck, which explains why she signed this painting genamt / H[a]rderúijck, or named Harderwijck. After Roderick's death, Cornelia married Gerrit toe Boecop tot de Ruwenberg. Given that Cornelia was 55 at the time this portrait was made, it seems that she continued to paint even after marrying.

This portrait depicts Ott van Bronckhorst, who married in 1590 Cornelia’s first cousin, Johanna van Harderwijck. Johanna was the daughter of Aelt van Harderwijck and Bette van Boecop. Though only a handful of works by Cornelia are known [1], it is likely that she painted more portraits of people from her direct circle as she was born in a noble family.

We are grateful to Sabine Craft-Giepmans, Curator at the RKD-Netherlands Institute of Art History, for her assistance in the cataloguing of this painting on the basis of photographs.

1. Another signed portrait of hers is in the Stedelijk Museum Kampen (inv. no. 6080).