A Space of Their Own

A portrait of the artist sitting at an easel, with flowers, books, and papers in front of her. She holds a palette and brushes in one hand and a flower in the other. She looks out directly at the viewer with a confident, neutral expression. She wears a blue dress trimmed with brown fabric and white lace. The brown color is echoed in a large, satin curtain swag on the right side of the composition. The image is set in a painted, architectural frame, as though we are observing her through an open window.

Rachel Ruysch (1664–1750)

1692
Rachel Ruysch and Michiel van Musscher, Rachel Ruysch (1664–1750) , 1692. Oil on canvas, 76.2 x 63.5 cm. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Metropolitan Museum of Art

A vibrant, unstructured floral still life set against a dark background. The arrangement is resting on a ledge and the flowers include tulips and roses, as well as others. There is an insect, perhaps a grasshopper, sitting on the table alongside the arrangement.

Vase with Flowers

1700
Rachel Ruysch, Vase with Flowers, 1700. Oil on canvas, 79.5 x 60.2 cm. Mauristhuis, The Hague
Mauristhuis, The Hague

A floral still life set against a dark, neutral background, with the arrangement sitting on a ledge. The flowers are wild and not arranged carefully, but a certain harmony is achieved. The colors are varied but somewhat muted and some of the flowers are cast in shadow.

A Vase of Flowers

1701
Rachel Ruysch, A Vase of Flowers, 1701. Oil on canvas, 76.9 x 63.5 cm. The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge University
The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge University

A floral still life set against a dark background. The arrangement is sitting on a brown ledge. The flowers are colorful: pink, red, blue, white, and orange, as well as lush green leaves.

Still Life with Flowers

1709
Rachel Ruysch, Still Life with Flowers, 1709. Oil on canvas, 78 x 64 cm. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (promised gift).
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

A floral still life, with the arrangement placed on a marble table or ledge. The colors are bright and varied, with the flowers spilling out of the vase and extending beyond the edges of the table. The background is a dark, neutral color that fades to lighter gray on the right edge of the canvas.

Still Life with Flowers on a Mable Tabletop

1716
Rachel Ruysch, Still Life with Flowers on a Mable Tabletop, 1716. Oil on canvas, 48.5 x 39.5 cm. Rijksmuseum
Rijksmuseum

A floral still life with fairly muted colors. The arrangement is centered on a table or ledge and appears in front of a dark background. There are orange, pink, blue, and white flowers, as well as green foliage. The arrangement is tall and fills the top three quarters of the composition.

Flowers in a Vase

ca. 1685
Rachel Ruysch, Flowers in a Vase, ca. 1685. Oil on canvas, 57 x 43.5 cm. National Gallery, London
National Gallery, London

A floral still life that is integrated into a landscape setting, with the arrangement of flowers seeming to emanate from a tree trunk. There are some flowers growing from the ground, as well. A snake and frog are visible at the bottom of the composition and in the background, there is a rocky formation, a tree, and a blue sky with clouds.

Flowers and Animals

ca. 1685–87
Rachel Ruysch, Flowers and Animals, 1. Oil on canvas, 71.5 x 56.5 cm. Gemäldegalerie, Dresden
Gemäldegalerie, Dresden

A floral still life of fewer than a dozen flowers resting on a table, with no vase. The background is a neutral, dark color. The flowers are orange, white, blue, and pink. The artist’s signature is quite large, visible in the bottom right corner of the composition.

Nosegay on a Marble Plinth

ca. 1695
Rachel Ruysch, Nosegay on a Marble Plinth, ca. 1695. Oil on canvas, 37.5 x 29.2 cm. Norton Simon Museum
Norton Simon Museum

A floral still life of an arrangement on a table, set against a dark neutral background. The colors of the flowers are primarily reds, oranges, and purples, with some large white flowers at the center. The arrangement is wild, with flowers resting on the table and extending to the very top of the composition.

Flower Still Life

ca. 1726
Rachel Ruysch, Flower Still Life, ca. 1726. Oil on canvas, 75.6 x 60.6 cm. Toledo Museum of Art
Toledo Museum of Art

A floral still life in a gold frame. The colors are fairly muted, and the arrangement is wild, overflowing with flowers and leaves resting on the table. In the background, a small classical sculpture of a woman is visible on the right edge of the canvas.

Still Life of Exotic Flowers on a Marble Ledge

ca. 1735
Rachel Ruysch, Still Life of Exotic Flowers on a Marble Ledge, ca. 1735. Oil on canvas, 89.5 x 70.5 cm. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art