The painting held by The Wilson, Flowers in a Glass Vase is a complex and playful flower painting. It shows a host of flowers in season in late May and early June – with the exception of an everlasting Chinese lantern – including poppies, roses and irises, as well as convolvulus, not so popular as a garden flower! Flower paintings were popular in the Netherlands, and were expected to show the kind of meticulous detail and accuracy that Ruysch’s work shows. Flower paintings rarely show just flowers – insects alight on the flowers, such as the butterfly you can see bottom left. Flower paintings, like most still lives, show the transition from perfect ripeness to decay, reminding their owners of mortality – and to take care of their souls.
Schalcken, Godfried, 1643-1706; Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750)
Portrait of Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750), by Godfried Schalcken, about 1701. Oil on canvas.
Ruysch, Rachel, 1664-1750; Flowers in a Glass Vase
Flowers in a Glass Vase by Rachel Ruysch, late 17th century – early 18th century. Oil on canvas.
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