mage credit: Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC., public domain
Hi res image: https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.217102.html
This delicate bouquet surrounded by bees, dragon flies, a ladybug and snail, shows a remarkably keen eye for the natural world. Relatively little known until recently, Clara Peeters formed part of an important group of female painters in the 17th-century Netherlands. It was only through hard work and perseverance that foremost female artists of the era, including Gesina ter Borch, Maria Sybilla Merian, and Rachel Ruysch were able to chisel out independent, artistic careers. Like the strong women at the center of building New Netherland – Judith Bayard and Sarah Kierstede among them– these women were boldly pushing boundaries in art, business and life.
Reference:
Title: Still Life with Flowers Surrounded by Insects and a Snail, c. 1610
Artist: Clara Peeters, painter. Flemish, c. 1594 - c. 1640
Medium: oil on copper
Dimensions overall: 16.6 × 13.5 cm (6 9/16 × 5 5/16 in.)
Accession Number 2018.144.1