229:
217:
28:
193:, killing her opponent. When a neighbour came in to find what the noise was about, Elsje took a coat and some linen out of another guest's chest and fled, covered in blood. In a possible suicide attempt, she jumped into the Damrak canal, but was pulled out of the water by passers-by. After her arrest and confession, she was sentenced to death by the city magistrates.
224:
While her body was on public display on the pranger, it was drawn by the 57-year-old
Rembrandt, who by then had already buried two wives and three of his children. On May 3, probably the same day as Elsje Christiaen’s execution, he hired a boat to row him out to the Volewijck moor where the body had
251:
Before the subject of the drawings was definitively identified they were dated on stylistic grounds to 1655. The specific details of
Christiaens' crime and execution, however, secure the dating to 1664 since no other body of an executed female is recorded as having been displayed in this way. The
243:
Since this was the first execution of a woman in
Amsterdam for 21 years, the spectacle was sufficiently unusual to attract public attention. Rembrandt was not the only artist who depicted the scene. There is also a pen-and-ink drawing with watercolour by
225:
been hung up. According to critic
Jonathan Sawday, the image is unique in Rembrandt's work because though Rembrandt had long been fascinated by dead bodies, the image of the body is not contrasted with signs of life continuing around it.
256:
in the 1960s, who wrote "Elsje
Christiaens, who once served as example to others to deter crime, now will serve again as example for the art historians to be careful with dating on the basis of stylistic grounds!"
169:
girl who, aged 18, murdered her landlady with an axe in
Amsterdam. She confessed and was executed. Her body was exhibited at the Volewijk, a field on the northern shore of the
185:
Elsje had come to
Amsterdam from her native Jutland to seek work as a maid, but was unable to find a job. Eventually she got into an argument with her landlady at the
204:
in
Amsterdam. She was sentenced to being hit several times with the axe she had used before being strangled. Her body and the axe were then exhibited at a
426:
189:
because she couldn't pay the rent. The fight escalated, the landlady grabbed a broom, threatening to take Elsje's few belongings, while Elsje took up an
446:
436:
431:
271:
deals with the case. It connects the life of
Rembrandt, trying to overcome his grief after the recent sudden death of his partner
396:
406:
32:
Elsje
Christiaens's body being displayed after her execution. The axe she used to kill is also exhibited. Drawing by
401:
441:
411:
248:, in which Christiaens' body can be seen hanging alongside those of other criminals at the execution site.
376:
228:
216:
416:
421:
245:
232:
8:
272:
253:
310:
Geert Mak, Een kleine geschiedenis van Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1995, p.103, 122 (in Dutch)
174:
33:
268:
275:, to the sad story of Christiaens and her death, which he learns of from his son
27:
276:
170:
359:
390:
321:
The Body Emblazoned: Dissection and the Human Body in Renaissance Culture
201:
162:
65:
205:
197:
166:
158:
51:
332:
Michiel Plomp, "Rembrandt and His Circle: Drawings and Prints",
186:
261:
345:
I.H. van Eeghen, "Elsje Christiaens en de kunsthistorici",
279:, culminating in a silent encounter with the girl's body.
237:
Gallows field on the edge of the Volewijk, near Amsterdam
190:
360:"Rembrandt Harmensz. Van Rijn: Elsje Christiaens"
388:
239:, 1664. Christians' body is depicted at right.
427:17th-century executions by the Netherlands
26:
447:Danish expatriates in the Dutch Republic
227:
215:
196:Her public execution by strangling at a
334:The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin
252:historical research was carried out by
389:
381:Digitaal Vrouwenlexicon van Nederland
13:
296:"Das Antlitz eines mĂĽden Engels".
14:
458:
370:
289:
437:People executed by strangulation
432:Dutch people convicted of murder
267:("The Painter and the Girl") by
352:
339:
326:
313:
304:
1:
282:
211:
177:produced two drawings of it.
151:
45:
397:17th-century Dutch criminals
7:
10:
463:
300:(in German). 9 June 2011.
265:De schilder en het meisje
141:
131:
121:
113:
105:
100:
92:
88:
80:
72:
58:
41:
25:
18:
407:17th-century Dutch women
323:, Routledge, 2013, p.43.
180:
402:Dutch female murderers
347:Maandblad Amstelodamum
240:
221:
442:Executed Danish women
231:
219:
412:Executed Dutch women
246:Anthonie van Borssom
233:Anthonie van Borssom
298:SĂĽddeutsche Zeitung
273:Hendrickje Stoffels
254:Isabella van Eeghen
73:Cause of death
377:Christiaens, Elsje
319:Sawday, Jonathan,
241:
222:
200:took place at the
175:Rembrandt van Rijn
34:Rembrandt van Rijn
208:in the Volewijk.
148:Elsje Christiaens
145:
144:
20:Elsje Christiaens
454:
364:
363:
356:
350:
349:56 (1969) 73-78.
343:
337:
330:
324:
317:
311:
308:
302:
301:
293:
269:Margriet de Moor
161:– 1664 in
156:
153:
134:
124:
47:
30:
16:
15:
462:
461:
457:
456:
455:
453:
452:
451:
387:
386:
373:
368:
367:
358:
357:
353:
344:
340:
331:
327:
318:
314:
309:
305:
295:
294:
290:
285:
214:
183:
154:
132:
122:
93:Criminal charge
68:
63:
54:
49:
37:
21:
12:
11:
5:
460:
450:
449:
444:
439:
434:
429:
424:
419:
414:
409:
404:
399:
385:
384:
372:
371:External links
369:
366:
365:
351:
338:
336:, Summer 2006.
325:
312:
303:
287:
286:
284:
281:
213:
210:
182:
179:
143:
142:
139:
138:
135:
129:
128:
125:
119:
118:
115:
111:
110:
107:
103:
102:
98:
97:
94:
90:
89:
86:
85:
82:
78:
77:
74:
70:
69:
64:
60:
56:
55:
50:
43:
39:
38:
31:
23:
22:
19:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
459:
448:
445:
443:
440:
438:
435:
433:
430:
428:
425:
423:
420:
418:
415:
413:
410:
408:
405:
403:
400:
398:
395:
394:
392:
382:
378:
375:
374:
361:
355:
348:
342:
335:
329:
322:
316:
307:
299:
292:
288:
280:
278:
274:
270:
266:
263:
258:
255:
249:
247:
238:
234:
230:
226:
218:
209:
207:
203:
199:
194:
192:
188:
178:
176:
172:
168:
164:
160:
149:
140:
136:
130:
126:
120:
116:
112:
108:
104:
99:
95:
91:
87:
83:
79:
75:
71:
67:
61:
57:
53:
44:
40:
35:
29:
24:
17:
417:1640s births
380:
354:
346:
341:
333:
328:
320:
315:
306:
297:
291:
264:
259:
250:
242:
236:
223:
195:
184:
147:
146:
422:1664 deaths
155: 1646
123:Location(s)
117:Netherlands
81:Nationality
391:Categories
383:(in Dutch)
283:References
212:Portrayals
202:Dam Square
379:, in the
260:The 2010
220:Side view
163:Amsterdam
127:Amsterdam
76:Execution
66:Amsterdam
165:) was a
206:pranger
198:garrote
159:Jutland
133:Weapons
114:Country
106:Victims
101:Details
52:Jutland
187:Damrak
173:, and
167:Danish
96:Murder
84:Danish
36:, 1664
277:Titus
262:novel
181:Crime
62:1664
59:Died
48:1646
42:Born
191:axe
157:in
137:Axe
393::
235:,
171:IJ
152:c.
46:c.
362:.
150:(
109:1
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
