Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase

This is an early work by the artist. These works owed much to Willem van Aelst for their composition and motifs. This painting features one of the flowers Van Aelst showed the most frequently, the pink cabbage rose, in the lower part of the bouquet, in bud, in full bloom, and beginning to wilt.

Ruysch regularly populated her floral compositions with butterflies, caterpillars, and other tiny creations.