Anna Ruysch (1666-1754)

• Was a Dutch Golden Age flower painter.
• Anna Ruysch (sometimes called Anna Elisabeth Ruysch) was the daughter of Maria Post and Frederik Ruysch, a preeminent botanist and anatomist.

• She was the younger sister of painter Rachel Ruysch.

• The Ruysch family moved from The Hague to Amsterdam.

• At the age of 15 or 16 Rachel was apprenticed to still life painter Willem van Aelst, and it is assumed that Anna was as well.

• Anna Ruysch painted less frequently after she married the paint dealer Isaak Hellenbroek on July 6, 1688.

• In 1742, her husband Isaak, was listed as having the same income as his illustrious sister-in-law Rachel Ruysch: 2500 guilders.

• The couple had at least six children, three of whom lived to adulthood.

• After her husband's death in 1749, Anna and her son continued to run the paint business.

• Anna died at age 87 in Amsterdam in 1754.

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