Today Judith Leyster (1609-1660) is one of the best known Dutch female painters of the 17th century. But it was not always so. After her death, Leyster’s work fell into obscurity, often attributed to Franz Hals. But, Leyster signed her work with a distinctive monogram of herself with a start shooting towards the right. It’s a small talisman, but in 1893 after the Louvre acquired one of her paintings attributed to Franz Hals, scholars noticed Leyster’s monogram and began looking at other paintings attributed to Hals.
In comparison to the artists profiled below, Leyster painted about life with portraits of musicians, tavern scenes, and views of domestic life. Leyster was the first woman in the Netherlands to become a master painter, a title she received in 1633 after being admitted to the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke. With this recognition, Leyster was able to open her own studio and accept students.
Maria van Oosterwijck
Many artists took a more somber look at the world around them. The painting on the left is the Vanitas Still Life, created by Maria van Oosterwijck (1630-1693) in 1690. In the 17th century, vanitas paintings reminded viewers that worldly pleasures were essentially useless, since death came to everyone. The images of transient flowers, in this case roses, tulips and irises, conveyed the sense that life is fleeting. And, should the audience require further proof that the allegory applies to them, there is the skull at the center of the picture. A Bible rests on the marble table. Additional symbols are the sunflower which represents God, and the floral wreath surrounding the skull—a crown of righteousness that God will bestow on individuals after death. I’m not sure if the sunflower and the wreath were supposed to provide comfort to viewers. Perhaps. The sensibilities of 17th century Dutch people differed from ours.
The paper slipping over the side of the table contains the key to the painting, with biblical references. As an example, the skull is connected with Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Maria’s father and grandfather were both ministers, and she herself was very religious.
Maria van Oosterwijk was a famous for floral still lives. Her paintings could be found in the collections of Emperor Leopold I, Louis XIV, and William III. Maria was an anomaly for her time. She never married, though she did raise an orphaned nephew. During her life, Maria produced 30 paintings, including this self-portrait with a palette and brushes representing her profession, and a Bible to demonstrate her piety.
As part of its commitment to include more female artists in the Gallery of Honor, the Rijksmuseum purchased Vanitas Still Life in 2023 from a German collector for $1.4 million.
The Amsterdam Pallas
Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750) painted The Still Life with Flowers in a Glass Vase shown on the left. A prolific artist known throughout Europe, Ruysch commanded prices as between 750 and 1200 guilders per painting when Rembrandt’s fees averaged 500 guilders. Johann Wilhelm, the Elector of the Palatinate in Germany, made Ruysch his official court painter, but allowed her to reside in Amsterdam as long as she sent him one painting annually.
Ruysch grew up in a family of artists. Her father Frederick Ruysch was a prominent botanist. Ruysch combined both skills with her still lives, and incorporated flowers not often seen in the Netherlands in her work.
In 1693 at the age of 29, Ruysch married Juriaen Pool, an Amsterdam portrait painter, eventually giving birth to ten children. Unlike most female artists, she continued to paint after her marriage, signing her own name to her work. In 1723, Ruysch won 75,000 guilders in a lottery, and briefly slowed her artistic production.
Ruysch and her husband joined the Confrerie Pictura in The Hague in 1701. She was the first woman to be admitted and remained a member for 20 years.
Ruysch collaborated with Michael Van Musscher, a portrait painter, to create what might be called a self-portrait. Ruysch contributed the floral arrangement to Van Musscher’s picture of an artist in her studio. The album of floral studies in the foreground invites the viewer to compare the two works of art.
These three artists were not the only women who painted in the Dutch Golden Age. Maria Sibylla Merian, Magdalena van de Passe, Clara Peeters, Maria Schalcken, Anna Maria van Schurman, and Alida Withoos also entered and thrived in the crowded field of art in the 17th century. At a time when most artists were male, these women made their own place.
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Sandra’s Books: Sea Tigers & Merchants. Ambition, Arrogance & Pride. Saxon Heroines. Two Coins. Rama’s Labyrinth.
Illustrations & A Few Sources
Self-Portrait by Judith Leyster; Judith Leyster Signature; Jolly Drinker by Judith Leyster; The Serenade by Judith Leyster; Vanitas Still Life by Maria van Oosterwijck; Portrait of Maria Van Oosterwijck by Wallerant Vaillant; The Still Life with Flowers in a Glass Vase by Rachel Ruysch; Rachel Ruysch in her Studio by Rachel Ruysch & Michiel Van Musscher. Katie White. “Rachel Ruysch’s Impossible Still Lifes Outsold Rembrandt.” Artnet. April 16, 2025. Richard Widdington. “Long Forgotten Dutch Artist Finally Claims Her Spot in the Rijksmuseum. Artnet. June 3, 2019. “Women Artists of the Dutch Golden Age.” National Museum of Women in the Arts.
