Maria van Oosterwyck

1630 – 1693

Active in: The Netherlands
Alternate names: Maria van Oosterwijk

Biography

Maria van Oosterwyck was a Dutch Golden Age painter. She was born in Nootdorp near Delft and trained with the still life painter Jan Davidsz. de Heem. In 1666, she moved to Amsterdam and established a workshop across the street from the flower painter Willem van Aelst. Van Oosterwyck was a specialist in still life and richly detailed flower paintings. Notably, she approached her career with strategy and acumen, obtaining an agent in Amsterdam to market her paintings to patrons, who came to include Louis XIV of France, William III of England, and the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I. Van Oosterwyck trained her servant Geertje Pieters to paint, and after her death Pieters was able to support herself and live independently. Van Aelst courted Van Oosterwyck, but she never married, focusing instead on her painting. She died in 1693 in Amsterdam.

Selected Works

A dark vase of flowers sits on a table. The arrangement includes large green leaves, red and white carnations, a sunflower, roses, and other white, orange, yellow, and pink flowers against a dark background.

Maria van Oosterwyck, Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase, 1670s. Oil on canvas, 73.6 x 55.8 cm. Denver Art Museum, 1997.219

A dark vase contains a small flower arrangement with red-and-white striped flowers, white and pink flowers with ruffled edges, a blue iris, and several small yellow flowers. A dragonfly and a butterfly rest on the flowers, while a second butterfly with orange stripes on its black wings has landed on the edge of the table.

Maria van Oosterwyck, Flower Still Life, 1669. Oil on canvas, 46 x 37.1 cm. Cincinnati Art Museum, 1988.150

A large flower arrangement sits on a table in a carved off-white vase with a lid resting nearby. The flowers are mostly red and orange, with one large sunflower and a few white flowers at teh center, and a lot of greenery at the back of the vase. The vase is carved with human figures, and the lid has a kneeling nude woman on the top.

Maria van Oosterwyck, Flowers in an Ornamental Vase, 1670–75. Oil on canvas, 62 x 47.5 cm. Mauritshuis

A small bunch of roses tied with a blue ribbon are laid down on a table. A white butterfly has landed on the petals of the rose.

Maria van Oosterwyck, Roses and Butterfly, n.d. Oil on canvas, 36.8 x 29.2 cm. Crocker Art Museum

Continue Exploring

View artist timeline
Selected works

Circle

Student of
Jan Davidsz. De Heem

Teacher of
Geertje Peeters

Friend of
Willem van Aelst

Bibliography

Beyer, Andreas, et al. Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon: die bildenden Künstler aller Zeiten und Völker. Munich: Saur, 1992.

Bol, L. J. Holländische Maler des 17. Jahrhunderts nahe den grossen Meister. Brunswick, 1969.

Borzello, Frances. A World of Our Own: Women as Artists Since the Renaissance. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 2000.

Bredius, A. “Archiefsprokkelingen. Een en ander over Maria van Oosterwyck, ‘vermaert Konstschilderesse.’” Oud Holland 52 (1935): 180–82.

Fine, Elsa Honig. Women & Art: A History of Women Painters and Sculptors from the Renaissance to the 20th Century. London: Allanheld & Schram, 1978.

Fortune, Jane, with Linda Falcone. Invisible Women: Forgotten Artists of Florence. Florence: Florentine Press, 2010.

Gerson, Horst. Ausbreitung und Nachwirkung der holländischen Malerei des 17. Jahrhunderts. Amsterdam: B. M. Israel, 1983.

Greer, Germaine. The Obstacle Race: The Fortunes of Women Painters and Their Work. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1979.

Haak, B. The Golden Age: Dutch Painters of the 17th Century. New York, 1984.

Heller, Nancy G. Women Artists: An Illustrated History. New York and London: Abbeville, 2003.

Houbraken, Arnold. De groote Schouburgh der Nederlantsche Konstschilders en Schilderessen. 3 vols. The Hague, 1753.

Klarenbeek, Hanna. Penseelprinsessen en broodschilderessen: vrouwen in de beeldende kunst 1808–1913. Bussum: Thoth, 2012.

Kloek, Els, Catherine Peters Sengers, and Esther Tobé. Lexicon van Noord-Nederlandse kunstenaressen, circa 1550–1800. Hilversum: Verloren, 1998.

Lindenburg, Rosa. “Maria van Oosterwijck, 17th-century Dutch Painter.” Womanart Magazine 2 (1977): 16–20.

“Maria Van Oosterwyck.” Advancing Women Artists Foundation. advancingwomenartists.org/art-in-need/art-hopefuls/maria-van-oosterwyck/

“Maria Van Oosterwyck (Noorddorp 1630 – Uitdam 1693) – Still Life with Flowers and Butterflies.” Royal Collection Trust. www.rct.uk/collection/405626/still-life-with-flowers-and-butterflies.

Parker, Rozsika, and Griselda Pollock. Old Mistresses: Women, Art and Ideology. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1981.

Renckens, B. J. A. “Een portret van de schilderes Maria van Oosterwijck en de dichter Dirk Schelte.” Oud Holland 74 (1959): 236–39.

“Maria van Oosterwijck.” RKD. https://rkd.nl/explore/artists/60780.

Schama, Simon. “Wives and Wantons: Versions of Womanhoos in 17th Century Dutch Art.” Oxford Art Journal (1980): 5–13.

Spoor, C. “Maria Van Oosterwijck.” Kroniek van Nootdorp (1966): 92–104.

Sutherland Harris, Ann. Women Artists 1550–1950. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1976.

Thieme, Ulrich, and Felix Becker. Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler: von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart. Leipzig: Seemann, 1907–50.

Tobé, Esther. “Perles et princesses du pinceau: Femmes artistes dans trois recueils biographiques (1550–1800).” In A chacun sa grâce: femmes artistes en Belgique et aux Pays-Bas 1500–1950. Edited by Katlijne van der Stighelen and Mirjam Westen. Amsterdam: Ludion, 1999.

Van der Stighelen, Katlijne, et al. Elck zijn waerom: vrouwelijke kunstenaars in België en Nederland 1500–1950. Ghent: Ludion, 1999.

Vigué, Jordi. Great Women Masters of Art. New York: Watson-Guptill, 2002.

Weyerman, Jacob Campo. De levens-beschryvingen der Nederlandsche konst-schilders en konst-schilderessen, met een uytbreyding over de schilder-konst der ouden […]. ‘s Gravenhage: Wed. E. Boucquet, Scheurleer, B., Boucquet, F., Jongh, Blussé en Zoon, 1729–69.

Entry Notes

Contributions to timeline and bibliography provided by Indiana University A300 student Emma Young