Born: 30 August 1627, Netherlands
Died: 2 November 1677
Country most active: Netherlands
Also known as: NA
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Margaretha van Godewijk was a prominent figure of the Dutch Golden Age, renowned as both a poet and a painter.
As per the historian Houbraken, her father, a teacher at the Latin school in Dordrecht, imparted a solid education encompassing Greek, Latin, Italian, French, and English. She also gained proficiency in Hebrew and a talent for crafting rhymes.
Under Nicolaes Maes’ guidance, she mastered painting, excelling in landscapes, villas, houses, flowers, and various ship depictions. Her skills spanned oils, watercolors, and embroidery. Additionally, she displayed a knack for astronomy and the intricate art of diamond engravings on glass (roemers). Houbraken also references Dordrecht writer Mathias Balen (1611–1691), who featured her among notable women in his historical account of Dordrecht.