Flowers in a vase

This unique still life painting by Judith Leyster, a renowned artist from the Dutch Golden Age, is the flagship work of the Luck-von der Ohe Collection, an ensemble of some 250 works of art covering the period from the 16th to the 19th century. This exceptional panel has been entrusted to the Snijders&Rockoxhuis Museum in Antwerp, where it completes a fascinating collection of 17th century paintings.

An exceptional artist following in the wake of Frans Hals

Judith Leyster (1609-1660) was one of the most famous female artists of the 17th century. She enjoyed enormous success with the portraits she sketched from life and her genre works, painted in the vein of Frans Hals. This beautiful still life with flowers (1654) is the only floral still life known to have been painted by Judith Leyster. Its value owes as much to the quality of its execution as to its rarity. Highly regarded by her peers, at the age of only 22, Judith Leyster became one of only two members (in the 17th century) of the prestigious Haarlem Guild of Saint Luke in the Netherlands. She seems to have reduced her output as of 1636, which marked the year of her marriage to the painter Jan Miense Molenaer. After her marriage, she signed her work using her husband's surname, as is the case here. The work is signed Judith Molenaer and not Judith Leyster.

Restoration and research

This still life was recently a key work in the exhibition Ingenious Women. Women Artists and their Companions in Hamburg, after which it underwent thorough restoration. The painting is currently the subject of a post-doctoral research project on the materials and techniques used by female artists during the 17th century. A partnership with the KU Leuven and the University of Antwerp enabled the materials and chemical components of the work to be identified. The analysis also highlighted Judith Leyster’s artistic talents because, apart from the tulip in the upper part of the painting, there is no underlying drawing. Some traces of previous restoration and minor changes to the composition were detected: a niche in the background and an oval support beneath the vase have disappeared. Thanks to the use of an MA-XRF scanner during the restoration, new perspectives were also revealed, such as details of the initial work that the artist did not maintain in the final painting. The more in-depth microscopic analysis of the work not only enabled the work to be preserved, but has also led to a better understanding of Judith Leyster’s technique and her creative choices.

A work that is now accessible for everyone to enjoy

In 2022, Renate Luck - von der Ohe donated to the King Baudouin Foundation the vast collection of more than 250 works that she had assembled over 35 years with her husband Hanns. This beautiful still life by Judith Leyster, an artist who was reputed during the Dutch Golden Age of Art, is the flagship work of the collection. The painting has been entrusted to the Snijders&Rockoxhuis Museum in Antwerp, where it completes an interesting collection of 17th century paintings and is accessible to both researchers and the general public.