Artwork
Portrait of (possibly) Anna Codde, wife of Pieter Gerritsz Bicker
Portrait of (possibly) Anna Codde, wife of Pieter Gerritsz Bicker is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Maarten van Heemskerck. It dates from 1529 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Technique & Style
The specific handling of the oil medium on the wooden panel reflects the technical practices of Maarten van Heemskerck during his period of activity in Haarlem.
Created in 1529, this portrait is executed in oil paint on a panel support. The work measures approximately 87 cm in height and 67 cm in width. As a portrait depicting a woman, the piece adheres to the formal conventions of the genre while utilizing the durable materials typical of 16th-century Northern European painting.
The specific handling of the oil medium on the wooden panel reflects the technical practices of Maarten van Heemskerck during his period of activity in Haarlem.
History & Provenance
The portrait is dated to 1529 based on the artist’s chronology and the sitter’s attire, aligning with Heemskerck’s early Haarlem period.
Early ownership traces to Alida van Ruytenburgh and later to Sophia Dina, Countess of Leiden, before passing through the Rhemen and Schimmelpenninck families. By the early twentieth century it belonged to Willem Anne Assueer Jacob Schimmelpenninck van der Oye, whose daughter Jacoba Christina inherited it and subsequently sold it to Rudolph Everard Willem van Weede.
It was acquired by Jacques Goudstikker in the interwar period and entered his Amsterdam dealership. After Goudstikker’s flight in 1940, the work entered the Nazi‐organized Führermuseum Linz project and was restituted post‐war to the Dutch Central Collecting Point, then allocated to the Rijksmuseum in 1951.
The painting is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. Its provenance includes ownership by the Jacques Goudstikker collection and the David Katz collection, among others. During the Second World War, the work was located at the Führermuseum and the Munich Central Collecting Point.
It has also been associated with the Centraal Museum and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. The artwork was featured in the exhibition titled "Remember Me".
Legacy
The painting's attribution to Maarten van Heemskerck and its depiction of Anna Pietersdr. Codde have informed scholarly discussions of early Dutch portraiture, influencing later interpretations of family identity in 16th‑century Haarlem. Its presence in multiple collections, including the Rijksmuseum and the Führermuseum, has allowed the work to be featured in exhibitions that trace the development of portrait conventions, reinforcing its role as a reference point for studies of gender and status in the period.
Overview
Created in 1529, this oil portrait presents a woman seated in a modest interior, rendered with the precise observation characteristic of the Northern Renaissance. The figure is dressed in a dark gown with a white head covering, holding a letter while her other hand rests on a nearby spinning wheel. A faint light source illuminates her face and hands, set against a subdued backdrop.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is identified as Anna Pietersdr. Codde, the spouse of merchant Pieter Gerritsz Bicker. Elements such as the spinning wheel and the letter may allude to domestic responsibilities and literacy, suggesting a portrayal of a respectable, literate woman engaged in household duties.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Maarten van Heemskerck (born Maerten Jacobsz van Veen; 1 June 1498 – 1 October 1574), also known as Marten Jacobsz Heemskerk van Veen, was a Dutch portrait and religious painter, who spent most of his career in Haarlem.
