Maria van Oosterwijck
Maria van Oosterwijck was a Dutch Golden Age painter, specializing in richly detailed flower paintings and other still lifes awash in luminous colors. She frequently painted dark backgrounds, which resulted in increased brilliance of the foregrounds. There are very few existing pieces that have been identified as being by van Oosterwijck. Many of her paintings were small-format; this was often the case for artists of the time, as large pieces tended to restrict sales opportunities to wealthier clients such as churches or the state.
The transitoriness of earthly things is illustrated with symbolic and literary references. A book lying next to the skull and hourglass is inscribed: “calculation – we live unto death and die unto life,” a reference to human life in the balance in the face of death and hope for eternal life. Next to it is a bottle, which reflects the artist’s entire studio including a self-portrait. Maria van Oosterwijck was a student of J. Davidsz. de Heem and worked for well-known rulers throughout Europe.
We present today's work thanks to the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
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P.S. Click here to learn more about Maria van Oosterwijck and other female artists of the Dutch Golden Age. <3