Artist
Anna Ruysch
A Still Life of Flowers on a Marble Table Ledge
- Anna Ruysch (Dutch, 1666–c. 1754)
- Oil on canvas, 33 × 30 cm
- 1685
- Private collection, USA
The Artist
Anna Ruysch was a Dutch still life artist. Like her sister Rachel Ruysch, Anna Ruysch painted flowers, fruit, and small animals. Her marriage in 1688 to paint dealer Isaak Hellenbroek apparently ended or greatly reduced her artistic output. The couple had at least six children, After her husband’s death in 1749, Anna continued to run the paint business with their son.
Anna did not always sign her work, so only a handful of paintings can be attributed to her with certainty. Of the few known works by the artist, most are in private hands, but at least these museum collections own her work: the Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, The Fitzwilliam Museum at the University of Cambridge, Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, and Musée des Beaux-arts Rouen.
In 2022, Sotheby’s sold two Anna Ruysch still life paintings at auction for £201,600 and £327,000, respectively.
Art Herstory is grateful to the private collector who allowed us to reproduce their Anna Ruysch painting on a note card. We are also grateful to the curator who brokered the arrangement.
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