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Born in The Hague on the 3rd June 1664 Rachel Ruysch was a painter of flowers and still life in the baroque style. The daughter of eminent botanist, physician and anatomist, Frederik Ruysch, she learned to observe and accurately depict nature from her father. Her family settled in Amsterdam when she was young and she trained there with Willem van Aelst from the age of 15. Ruysch was also influenced by the still life painter Otto Marseus van Schriek, who was famous for his representations of dark forest flora with insects and lizards. In 1701, she became a member of the painters’ guild in The Hague 1708, where she was the first female member of the artist’s society, Confrerie Pictura. The same year she became court painter to Johan Willem the Elector Palatine of Bavaria and continued until his death in 1716. Returning to Holland, she continued work for a prominent clientele. Despite the changes in popularity of flower paintings Ruysch’s work is still highly regarded.
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