Fruit and Insects

Fruit and Insects, oil painting by Dutch artist Rachel Ruysch, that, together with Basket of Flowers, was commissioned by her patron, Johann Wilhelm von der Pfalz, and was created in 1711. The paintings were a gift for Cosimo III, grand duke of Tuscany, and hang in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.

Though Ruysch was the most celebrated Dutch flower painter of her day, Fruit and Insects depicts fruit and garden animals on a muddy surface that falls more into the sottobosco (“forest floor”) style of still-life painting, rather than the domestic interior that was the setting for most of her floral paintings. Both paintings exhibit a pyramidal structure, with, in Fruit and Insects, three succulent peaches catching the light. In addition, a squash, several plums, bunches of red and green grapes, and an ear of corn are depicted. On the top right side, there is a stalk of wheat, and on the lower left there is a bird nest full of eggs. In the foreground of the painting, a red admiral butterfly comes in for a landing almost on the long tail of a sinuous lizard that appears to be interested in consuming a garden snail. Closer examination reveals a fly on one of the peaches and a beetle on the stem of the squash.

Ruysch is regarded as one of the best artists of still-life paintings. During her lifetime, such artistry was well regarded, and her work was in great demand and commanded high prices. Perhaps that is one reason that she continued painting while raising her many children and, indeed, for most of her long life.