A Life Surrounded by Splendor Born into the vibrant, prosperous atmosphere of Amsterdam in 1689, Catharina Backer was a woman whose very existence was woven into the rich tapestry of the Dutch Golden Age's twilight. As the daughter of Willem Cornelisz. Backer, a prominent lawyer and merchant, and Magdalena de la Court, she grew up within the walls of an Amsterdam canal house that functioned less like a mere residence and more like a living museum. Her childhood was defined by an extraordinary immersion in culture; she was raised amidst vast collections of natural history specimens, rare arti…