Judith Jans Leyster (sometimes spelled Leijster), a Dutch Golden Age painter of genre pieces, portraits, and still lifes, was baptized on July 28, 1609, and she died on February 10, 1660.
Her contemporaries held a high regard for her work, but after her passing, it was completely forgotten. Her husband, Jan Miense Molenaer, or Frans Hals eventually came to be given credit for her entire body of work. She was found in 1893, and academics started giving her works the deserved credit.
Where did Judith Leyster live?
The fact that they frequently shared studio models and accessories and may have even collaborated on each other’s paintings makes it more challenging to distinguish between her early works and those of her husband, a fellow artist and at times close admirer of Hals. After that, the pair relocated to Amsterdam, where they remained until 1648.
After her marriage, Leyster painted relatively little. The couple purchased a home at Heemstede, close to Haarlem, in October 1648, but they continued to travel back and forth between Amsterdam, where they owned another home, and Haarlem. Leyster passed away in 1660 and was buried on February 10 in Heemstede.
