Judith Leyster (1609-1660)

Leyster was extremely successful in her day as a portrait and genre specialist. Little is known about her early training but she was mentioned in about about Haarlem as being a local artist.

In her early twenties she became the only female member of the Haarlem painters' guild and soon had students of her own.

Even though her work is closely identified with that of Hals, their relationship remains unclear. What is known is that she successfully sued Hals for a breach of ethics after he took on one of her students.

Judith Leyster
Self Portrait
1630
oil on canvas
National Gallery of Art, DC