If still-life painting is the art of arresting decay, then it makes a lot of sense that Rachel Ruysch grew up to become one of the greatest still-life painters in the history of art. In the 17th ...

She was the queen of the 17th-century still life—and her patrons shelled out lavish sums to own her resplendent flowers. Rachel Ruysch, born in the Hague in 1664, rose to fame for her exquisitely ...

In the 17th century, Holland was in bloom. Following a bout of “tulipmania” in the 1630s, it became fashionable to visit the Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam’s botanical garden, to catch a glimpse of a ...

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A richly depicted wicker basket of flowers by Dutch artist Clara Peeters going on offer at Sotheby’s London on December 6 will, if it meets its high estimate, become one of her priciest paintings at ...

Purchase this and other timeless New Criterion essays in our hard-copy reprint series. In terms of public reception in his day, he might have done better to paint even more still lifes. In terms of ...