Louise Hollandine of the Palatinate
Louise Hollandine of the Palatinate was a painter and abbess. She was the sixth child and second daughter of Frederick Elector Palatine and his wife Elizabeth. She was born in The Hague, shortly after her parents' arrival in the Netherlands following Frederick's defeat in Bohemia in 1620. She was christened Louise after her paternal grandfather and Hollandine as a tribute to the States of Holland, her godfathers, and the country of her birth. She was a talented artist who studied with Gerard van Honthorst and painted a number of members of her family. Actually, she painted so ably in Honthorst's style that some of her works were attributed to him. (This is a typical sin of art history, attributing paintings of women artists to men. Luckily this has changed a lot recently.) In December 1657 she left her home in disguise and for unknown reasons became a Catholic nun. In 1664 she became Abbess of the convent of Maubuisson and continued to live there until her death at the age of 88. This elegant self-portrait dates from around 1650.
If you would like to learn more about forgotten women artists please check our Women Artists Notebook. Also check our DailyArt Paper Calendars for 2021 there (with a -40% discount!). : )
P.S. Here are 10 of the most famous female artist self-portraits!