Rachel Ruysch (The Hague bapt. 1664-1750 Amsterdam)

Signed and dated 1683, this is a remarkably early painting by Rachel Ruysch, arguably the most important woman painter of the Dutch Golden Age. In her Ph.D. dissertation, Marianne Berardi discusses this work along with five other still lifes, all of which were executed early in Ruysch's career and reflect the influence of her teacher, Willem van Aelst (loc. cit.). Painted when Rachel was only 19 years old, this fruit piece (fruytstukje) is the second earliest of Berardi's group, after the Fruit Piece with Oysters and Grapes in the Musée Granet, Aix-en-Provence. As Sutton has noted (loc. cit.), a similar painting, Flower still life on a ledge, which was sold at Christie's, London, 29 June 1979, lot 41, may also be added to this group as it is dated 1682.