The Rijksmuseum is displaying a recently acquired still life by Maria van Oosterwijck in the Gallery of Honor from today. Maria van Oosterwijck, one of the most important Dutch women painters of the seventeenth century, is renowned for her flower still lifes. The museum had the opportunity to acquire this painting in 2023. The religious connotations of the work make it one of the artist’s most deeply personal works. For Van Oosterwijck, the still life was a testament to her unwavering faith.

Van Oosterwijck specialized in flower still lifes, and a bouquet of flowers has a central role in the recently acquired ‘vanitas’ painting. She depicted a variety of other objects in the painting, including a Bible, a skull, a jewellery box and two tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. These elements convey profound religious significance. The artist grew up in a devout environment – both her father and her grandfather were church ministers – and according to a contemporary she was ‘extraordinarily religious’ herself. It is notable that Van Oosterwijck explains the meaning of the picture on the sheet of paper in the foreground.

The painting underwent detailed examination following its purchase in 2023, revealing that Van Oosterwijck made an exceptionally large number of changes during the painting process. Examples of these changes include her overpainting of an hourglass and of a fully completed snake crawling in through the opening in the wall. Once the research was completed, restoration began. This process included the removal of yellowed varnish and overpainting from earlier restorations. The painting has now been returned, as close as possible, to its original state.

The still life is presented for the first time in the museum today on 4 March 2025, prior to the Women in the Museum symposium. The acquisition was made possible through support from the Friends’ Lottery (Vriendenloterij) and the Women of the Rijksmuseum Fund.