"Flower Still Life," Rachel Ruysch, c. 1716-20.

Here's our old friend Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750) with another one of her lovely floral still lifes.

The flowers here include poppies, roses, carnations, and I think I see some tulips as well. There's a bee, a moth, and a caterpillar visible as well, and maybe a few other small creatures. Some of the flowers are drooping, and some leaves are brown and have been nibble on by insects.

Ruysch, the daughter of a scientist, depicted flowers and insects with great precision and detail. There's a lot of realism in the individual flowers, but the overall painting is not realistic, as these flowers would not be in bloom at the same time!

I won't go on about her life, having talked about her before, but she had a long and successful career and achieved greater fame and wealth than many other painters of her time, and even today she is regarded as one of the greatest and most talented still life artists of any sex, of any era. All hail Rachel Ruysch!

Happy Flower Friday!

From the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH.

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