Rachel Ruysch, ‘An Arrangement of Flowers by a Tree Trunk’, c. 1683, oil on canvas. Archibald McLellan Collection, purchased, 1856. © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums and Libraries Collections.

The Remarkable Rachel Ruysch

The Dutch painter Rachel Ruysch was an inventive and successful artist who had close connections to vast collections of natural history specimens, including lizards and butterflies. These populated her incredibly detailed flower paintings. Glasgow Life Museums has lent two important paintings to Ruysch’s first major monograph exhibition, ‘Rachel Ruysch: Nature into Art’, which has travelled between Munich, Toledo (USA) and Boston, and finishes in December 2025. This illustrated talk, given by Curator of European Art, Pippa Stephenson-Sit, explores an important, previously overlooked artist in light of this new exhibition. Paintings Conservator Hazel Neill will also reveal some exciting technical finds fresh from the conservation lab. The talk will be accompanied by the opportunity to see butterfly specimens from Glasgow Life Museums’ Natural History collection.