The best-known names in early modern Flemish art history are those of star—male—painters, a common assumption being that only a few, exceptional women succeeded in a man’s world. DARK ENERGY challenges this assumption. The production of early modern Flemish painting and sculpture required a vast amount of “assisting labour.” This work was performed by “official” apprentices but also by “unofficial” workers. The latter have been overlooked by researchers. The hypothesis of DARK ENERGY is that: (1) many of the individuals toiling in the shadows of art production were women; (2) they performed unskilled and skilled labour; and (3) their participation was key to the success of Flemish arts. In that sense, the largely hidden labour provided by women is analogous to the astrophysical concept of dark energy: very little is known about it, but its existence is key to our understanding of the structure of the universe. Similarly, understanding the vital role women played in the creation and production of art is critical our understanding of a period of exceptional artistic innovation and output in Flemish history. This project applies an innovative framework grounded in art history and developed using socio-cultural, economic and legal history, material culture theory, and network analysis to recover the stories of these women. DARK ENERGY is at the cutting edge of scholarship and it opens a window onto a new tradition in art history by offering research focused on peripheral actors.