A self-portrait sculpted in wax by Anna Maria van Schurman featured a necklace so meticulously rendered that a royal acquaintance once pricked it with a pin to test its authenticity. Born in Cologne in 1607, she defied contemporary limitations on female intellectual life to become a polyglot, scholar, and artist within the Dutch Republic.
Early Intellectual Development
By the age of six, Van Schurman was creating complex paper cut-outs, and at ten she mastered embroidery in three hours. After her family settled in Utrecht in 1615, she received home instruction in arithmetic, music, and French. Her father, noting her proficiency, began teaching her Latin in 1618, allowing her to assist her brothers with their studies of Seneca.
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In 1634, Van Schurman composed a celebratory poem for the founding of the University of Utrecht. Her academic distinction led to a special arrangement where she became the first woman to attend lectures at a Dutch university. To maintain public decorum, she listened from behind a curtained booth. During this tenure, she developed fluency in fourteen languages, including Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, and Ethiopic, and authored a two-volume grammar for the latter.
Artistic and Intellectual Circles
Living in the Dutch Republic, she established a salon that drew intellectuals such as Constantijn Huygens and Johan van Beverwijck. Her artistic output included engraving, which she studied under Magdalena van de Passe. Her work, characterized by precise calligraphy and technical experimentation, gained wide recognition. She viewed her artistic aptitude as a divine gift and maintained a rigorous, serious approach to her creative endeavors throughout her career.
Labadist Leadership
In the 1660s, Van Schurman became disillusioned with the Reformed Church. She aligned herself with the separatist preacher Jean de Labadie, eventually selling her home and library to join his community. In 1669, she published a pamphlet criticizing ecclesiastical authorities. She later relocated to Herford Abbey under the protection of Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia, where the Labadists maintained a printing press. She remained with the movement until her death in 1678 in Wiuwert.
Fast facts
- Born: 1607, Cologne
- Died: 1678, Wiuwert
- Citizenship: Dutch Republic
- Educated at: Utrecht University
- Languages known: 14, including Persian and Hebrew
- Occupations: writer, poet, theologian, and artist
Questions readers ask
What subjects did Van Schurman study at university?
She focused on theology and philosophy, while also mastering languages including Hebrew, Arabic, Chaldee, Syriac, and Ethiopic.
Why is she considered the first female student at a Dutch university?
In 1636, she was granted permission by the University of Utrecht authorities to attend professor Voetius' lectures, marking the first time a woman was permitted to study at a Dutch institution.
Achievements
- Educated at Utrecht University
- Fields of research: philosophy, poetry and theology
