Still Life with Rose Branch, Beetle and Bee

On this day in 1664, Rachel Ruysch, one of the most famous Dutch still-life painters, was born. She was celebrated for her extremely detailed and elaborate floral compositions, which gained her international acclaim and made her the best-documented female artist of the Dutch Golden Age.

Trained by Willem van Aelst, she developed a distinctive, naturalistic style and achieved international fame. Born in The Hague to scientist Frederik Ruysch, she began drawing from his anatomical and botanical collections early on. By age eighteen, she was already selling her own signed works. Married to portrait painter Juriaen Pool, Ruysch had ten children but continued painting throughout her life. Unusually for her time, she maintained a long, successful career spanning over six decades.

The date on Still Life with Rose Branch, Beetle and Bee, 1741 (likely added later due to its awkward placement and style), may be accurate if Ruysch used the common 17th- and 18th-century convention of stating age as "in the 78th year of life." Baptized on June 3, 1664, she was likely born shortly before, placing the painting in the second half of 1741, after her 77th birthday.

We present today's work thanks to Kunstmuseum Basel.  :)

P.S. Rachel Ruysch is one of our favorites. We feature her works in two of DailyArt's postcard sets: Women Artists and Flowers in Art, which you can find in our online DailyArt Shop.  :)

P.P.S. Discover 10 iconic floral still-lifes! Ruysch's work is also on the list (of course)!