Rating and value of paintings by Rachel Ruysch

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Rachel Ruysch artist's rating and value

Rachel Ruysch is a well-known artist among still life enthusiasts. Now, prices for her works are rising at the auctioneers' gavel.

Her oils on canvas are particularly prized, especially by Dutch buyers, and the price at which they sell on the art market ranges from €1,190 to €1,631,700, a large delta but one that speaks volumes about the value that can be attributed to the artist's works.

In 2013, his oil on canvas Nature morte de roses, tulipes, un tournesol et autres fleurs dans un vase en verre avec une abeille, un papillon et d'autres insectes sur un rebord en marbre sold for €1,631,700, whereas it was estimated at €1,100,000 to €1,750,000. Its value is on the rise.

Order of value from a simple work to the most prestigious

Style and technique of artist Rachel Ruysch

Rachel Ruysch (1664 - 1750) was a Dutch painter of the Golden Age. She adopted a naturalistic and scientific approach, meticulously observing flora and fauna. She depicts each species accurately (stems, petals, insects) without idealization but with almost botanical precision.

She was scientifically influenced as the daughter of a botanical anatomist, so she had access to her father's collections and botanical gardens, feeding her paintings with rigorous knowledge.

Painting technique is refined  she uses fine brushwork and details (filaments, veins, veins, translucent wings) with a clear, soft, flawless finish.

She makes innovative use of natural materials, sometimes incorporating real moss or butterfly wings to texturize the canvas, enhancing its realism.

The background is generally dark to highlight the vivid colors and delicate modeling of flowers and insects. Anne Vallayer Coster would adopt this principle, as would later Henri Fantin-Latour and Victoria Fantin-Latour.

She often chose to break strict symmetry with dynamic compositions, balancing spontaneity and rigor in this way. She aims for chromatic harmony using a subtle palette, with dominant whites, pinks and greens, creating vibrant, luminous bouquets.

Her works stand out for a fusion of genres : her still lifes belong to both the Baroque tradition and the decorative rococo spirit, combining scientific realism and pictorial elegance.

Each work becomes a microcosm, with insects, mosses, fruits and flowers from different seasons, evoking, among other things, time and vanity.

The life of Rachel Ruyst

Rachel Ruyst was born in The Hague into an intellectual family: her father, Frederik Ruysch, was a famous botanical anatomist.

She was introduced to scientific drawing and nature observation at an early age, thanks to her father's botanical and anatomical collections. At the age of 15, she became a pupil of the Amsterdam painter Willem van Aelest, who introduced her to still life painting, chiaroscuro and floral arrangements.

He developed a personal style, highly detailed and lively, focusing on floral compositions with insects, fruits and shells. By the 1680s, she was recognized as an accomplished painter, signing her works (which was very rare for a woman at the time.

She worked for wealthy merchants, collectors and art lovers, and her works were prized in the United Provinces and in Germany.

In 1708, she was appointed official painter to Elector Palatine Johann Wilhelm in Düsseldorf, and worked there for over a decade.

When she returned to Amsterdam, she continued to paint for a prestigious clientele until the end of her life.

Her career spanned almost 70 years, which is quite exceptional in 17th-century art history.

She married the ornamental painter Juriaen Pool in 1693, and had ten children (several of whom died young). She succeeded in reconciling a career as an independent painter with a large family, a feat much admired by her contemporaries.

She died in 1750 at the age of 86, after a long career marked by success and recognition. She was forgotten in the 19th century, then rediscovered in the 20th as one of the few major female painters of the Dutch Golden Age, alongside Judith Leyster.

Today, she remains one of the most appreciated female artists of early painting, alongside Sophie Allart and Adélaïde Labille-Guiard.

Focus on Vase of Flowers, Rachel Ruysch, circa 1700

Vase of Flowers by Rachel Ruysch is an oil on canvas in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, measuring approximately 75 x 60 cm. It depicts a sumptuous bouquet of flowers from different seasons in a vase set on a stone ledge, complete with insects and natural elements.

The bouquet brings together peonies, tulips, roses, campanulas, foxgloves and carnations (some flowers cannot coexist naturally).

The artist treats them with a keen sense of detail : each petal and leaf vein is rendered with finesse, without stylization. She also depicts insects (beetles, butterflies, flies), adding a touch of realism and recalling the influence of her father, an anatomist and naturalist.

The arrangement is dynamic, with stems crossing each other diagonally, and flowers escaping from the vase, creating an effect of natural but mastered profusion. The dark background, typical of her style, enhances the clarity of the flowers and accentuates the chromatic contrast. She also plays with depth effects by superimposing planes, and working with subtly measured plays of light and shadow.

She uses a rich but natural palette, gradations of whites, yellows, pinks, reds, blues and cool greens. Each hue is carefully modulated to evoke transparency, thickness, freshness or aging of the flower. The low-angled light gives an almost tactile dimension to the plant material.

Despite the beauty of the bouquet that the artist wanted to convey, certain clues (wilted flowers, the presence of a moth) are there to recall the theme of vanity and the passing of time.

The work balances scientific naturalism and Baroque aesthetics in this way, illustrating the art of bringing observation and composition into dialogue. The painting thus embodies the culmination of the Dutch floral still life, while affirming Rachel Ruysch's singular signature.

Recognizing the artist's signature

Rachel Ruysch does not necessarily sign her works. Copies may exist, which is why expertise remains important.

Knowing the value of a work

If you happen to own a work by Rachel Ruysch or after the artist, don't hesitate to request a free valuation using our form on our website.

A member of our team of experts and chartered auctioneers will contact you promptly to provide you with an estimate of the market value of your work, as well as ad hoc information about it.

If you are considering selling your work, you will also be accompanied by our specialists in order to benefit from alternatives for selling it at the best possible price, taking into account the inclinations of the market.