This story will either make you rejoice or infuriate you, or maybe both. The rejoicing comes from knowing that a truly masterful woman artist has been rediscovered. The infuriating starts when you realize there was maybe willful lying by historians who suppressed the life and art of Michaelina Wautier for reasons we will never really know. But we can guess. Her name is certainly not one that I have ever heard but nonetheless it’s an extraordinary saga.
From Obscurity to Stardom
Before her resurfacing in the 2000s, Michaelina’s brilliant work was mis-attributed to male artists, and even sometimes to other women artists such as the one to the right. During her lifetime in Belgium (1614-1689), it was customary for women artists to create small artworks featuring figures and still-life exclusively. However, Wautier broke through the Baroque-era glass ceiling to examine a gamut of ideas and subjects. Holding true to my previous theory that being born into wealth was a huge benefit probably for mostly anyone, but women in particular. It is thought that Michaelina was from affluence also, though her family was quite large being the only girl of nine siblings. Interestingly, she did not begin her art career until age 39. This is not so unusual to me because I did not start until age 27.
Lost and Never Found
Wautier’s brother, Charles was also an accomplished painter who played a significant role in her life. Because of his military association, Michaelina procured an important commission to paint a portrait of general Andrea Cantelmo. The final piece was ultimately lost but an engraving by Paulus Pontius verifies it existed.
There are only 35 paintings in existence now that are attributed to her and little is known about her art training. She did not marry and most likely devoted her life to her painting. With her brother, they moved to Brussels in 1645 and shared a house and studio.
A Gamut of Themes and Ideas
Encompassing a remarkably wide variety of subject matter, Wautier’s repertoire spanned everything from history, religion, portraiture, to mythology, to genre scenes, and large format paintings usually done by men. Because I have done many themed series, I love the fact that she used themes for her various body of works such as The Five Senses. This series portrays five boys in five paintings depicting hearing, smell, taste, touch, and sight. Miraculously she broke the Baroque-era glass ceiling again by exploring the male anatomy in paintings of large format nudes.
Like most female artists, Michaelina’s work faded into oblivion after she died in 1689 at age 85. This could possibly be because her last known painting is dated 1659. That leaves a gap of 30 years where she did not produce, or the works were lost. Or other reasons might be misattribution or confusion with other female artists. Though she had a stellar reputation during her lifetime, her work went underground for more than 300 years.
A Second Look, Finally!
Today, historians and scholars have taken a second look at her remaining body of work. The Museum of Fine Art Boston featured the Five Senses Series in 2020. Describing the portrait of the boy depicting the sense of smell, Dr. Beth Harris says,
“Let’s talk about Wautier. She’s such an interesting artist. Her familiarity with paint is so clear in this painting. The folds of the boy’s jacket are painted with such skill. We can see the brushstrokes, the tiny touches of lighter-colored yellow and gold paint on his knuckles or his cheeks. His eyes are so penetrating. We feel as though we’re sitting in front of this boy.”
On the Bright Side
In retrospect, I have decided to rejoice that Michaelina was rediscovered rather than feel sardonic and infuriated. Now Michaelina Wautier has a star-studded position in the galaxy of forgotten women artists of the past.
More Lessons from Fred and Ginger Coming Soon!
A new snippet showing a detail of the latest modello painting based on the palette of Michaelina Wautier featured in the Dancing Backwards Part Two Series.
Bronze Coast Gallery, Cannon Beach, Oregon, October 11, 2025
Note: Wautier is also found as Woutier
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