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The inscription “Aet[atis] 79” in the upper left corner documents that Ruysch was seventy-nine when she painted this still life. By this time, she had shifted to smaller formats and a lighter palette. The composition centers on three large flowers—white, pink, and red roses—and poppy anemones. For the small forget-me-nots at left, she used Prussian blue, a more affordable pigment than traditional blues like ultramarine. Ruysch was among the first Dutch artists to use this new pigment in her art, incorporating it as early as 1715. Compare this still life to an earlier example from Ruysch’s mature period hanging nearby.
A Still Life of Flowers in a Glass Vase on a Marble Table before a Niche
Rachel Ruysch (Dutch, 1664–1750)
1742
Medium/Technique
Oil on panel
Dimensions
24 × 19 cm (9 7/16 × 7 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase with funds donated by Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo, in support of the Center for Netherlandish Art
Accession Number2023.336
ClassificationsPaintings
The inscription “Aet[atis] 79” in the upper left corner documents that Ruysch was seventy-nine when she painted this still life. By this time, she had shifted to smaller formats and a lighter palette. The composition centers on three large flowers—white, pink, and red roses—and poppy anemones. For the small forget-me-nots at left, she used Prussian blue, a more affordable pigment than traditional blues like ultramarine. Ruysch was among the first Dutch artists to use this new pigment in her art, incorporating it as early as 1715. Compare this still life to an earlier example from Ruysch’s mature period hanging nearby.
Inscriptionsupper left: Rachel Ruysch / 1742 - AEt 79
ProvenanceDecember 11, 1981, anonymous (“Property of a Gentleman”) sale, Christie’s, London, lot 22, withdrawn or unsold. January 18, 1983, anonymous (“Various Properties”) sale, Christie’s, New York, lot 50, sold. 1998, private collection, United States. 1999-2000, Otto Naumann Ltd., New York. 2001, Salomon Lilian Old Master Paintings, Amsterdam. 2022, sold by a private collector, the Netherlands to Pictura Fine Arts (Amsterdam) B.V.Haboldt & Co., Amsterdam. 2023, sold by Pictura Fine Arts (Amsterdam) B.V. Haboldt & Co. to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 21, 2023)
CopyrightMuseum purchase with funds donated by Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo, in support of the Center for Netherlandish Art