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When Rachel Ruysch signed a still life with a tulip and a melon in 1748, she also added her age with the number 83. She does this with the self-confidence of a star artist and undoubtedly with pride in her still so confident brushwork. At this point, Ruysch no longer had to paint because of fame or even money; she was celebrated as “Holland’s art miracle” and “genius art heroine”, was the first female member of the renowned Pictura artist brotherhood in The Hague, court painter to Wittelsbach Elector Johann Wilhelm from the Palatinate in Düsseldorf, created opulent floral and fruit pieces for which customers all over Europe lined up. She also gave birth to ten children and won a fortune in the lottery.
