Otto Marseus van Schrieck (ca. 1613, in

Nijmegen Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...

– buried 22 June 1678, in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

) was a painter in the

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( nl, Gouden Eeuw ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands, roughly spanning the era from 1588 (the birth of the Dutch Republic) to 1672 (the Rampjaar, "Disaster Year"), in which Dutch trade, science, and art and ...

. He is best known for his paintings of forest

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring ( indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. ...

and

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is '' flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. ...

Biography

Marseus van Schrieck spent the years 1652–1657 in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

with the painters

Matthias Withoos Matthias Withoos (1627–1703), also known as Calzetta Bianca and Calzetti, was a Dutch painter of still lifes and city scenes, best known for the details of insects, reptiles and undergrowth in the foreground of his pictures.Seymour Slive, ...

and

Willem van Aelst Willem van Aelst (16 May 1627 – buried 22 May 1683)Aelst, Willem van

, and there joined the Dutch Guild of Artists. Later he worked at the court of the

Grand Duke of Tuscany The rulers of Tuscany varied over time, sometimes being margraves, the rulers of handfuls of border counties and sometimes the heads of the most important family of the region. Margraves of Tuscany, 812–1197 House of Boniface :These were origin ...

and traveled throughout England and France, after which he settled in

. On 25 April 1664, he married Margarita Gysels (the daughter of Cornelius Gysels, an engraver).

Arnold Houbraken Arnold Houbraken (28 March 1660 – 14 October 1719) was a Dutch painter and writer from Dordrecht, now remembered mainly as a biographer of Dutch Golden Age painters. Life Houbraken was sent first to learn ''threadtwisting'' (Twyndraat) ...

's biography of Otto mentions that he joined the

Bentvueghels The Bentvueghels (Dutch for "Birds of a Feather") were a society of mostly Dutch and Flemish artists active in Rome from about 1620 to 1720. They are also known as the Schildersbent ("painters' clique"). Activities The members, which included ...

in Rome and was called the ''snuffelaer'', or "ferreter", because he was always in the garden looking for detail. Houbraken quotes Otto's wife, who survived him by two husbands and was still alive when he wrote the book; according to her, Marseus van Schrieck kept snakes and lizards in a shed at the back of his house, and also on a piece of land outside the city that was walled in for this purpose.

Works

Many of his paintings are dark studies of plants, often with lizards at the base and insects on the leaves and branches. According to the

Netherlands Institute for Art History The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: RKD-Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center i ...

, his followers were

Willem van Aelst Willem van Aelst (16 May 1627 – buried 22 May 1683)Aelst, Willem van

, Anthonie van Borssom,

Elias van den Broeck Elias van den Broeck (1649, in Antwerp – buried 6 February 1708, in Amsterdam) was a Dutch Golden Age flower painter. Biography According to the RKD, in 1665 he became a pupil of Cornelis Kick in Amsterdam, and in 1669 he became a pupil of ...

, J Falk, Carl Wilhelm de Hamilton, Trajan Hughes, Nicolaes Lachtropius,

Jacob Marrel Jacob Marrel (1613/1614 – 11 November 1681) was a German still life painter active in Utrecht (city), Utrecht during the Dutch Golden Age. Biography Jacob Marrel was born in Frankenthal. He moved with his family in 1624 to Frankfurt, where he ...

Abraham Mignon Abraham Mignon or Minjon (21 June 164027 March 1679), was a still life painter.Abraham Mignon
at the

Rachel Ruysch Rachel Ruysch (3 June 1664 – 12 October 1750) was a Dutch still-life painter from the Northern Netherlands. She specialized in flowers, inventing her own style and achieving international fame in her lifetime. Due to a long and successful caree ...

, Christiaen Striep, Isac Vromans,

, and

Pieter Withoos Pieter Withoos (1655 – 23 April 1692), was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Withoos was born in Amersfoort. According to Houbraken he was the second son of Mathias Withoos, brother to the painters Johannes, Frans and Alida Withoos.

.Otto Marseus van Schrieck
in the

A notable omission in this list is the daughter and sister of the last two mentioned,

Alida Withoos Alida Withoos (c. 1661/62 – 5 December 1730 (buried)) was a Dutch botanical artist and Painting, painter. She was the daughter of the painter Matthias Withoos. Life Alida Withoos was born in Amersfoort. With three brothers Johannes, Pieter With ...

, who collaborated with him on creating paintings of the garden of Vijverhof for

Agnes Block Agnes, or Agneta Block (29 October 1629, Emmerich am Rhein – 20 April 1704, Amsterdam) was a Dutch Mennonite art collector and horticulturalist. She is most remembered as the compiler of an album of flower and insect paintings. Life Agneta B ...

's collection of garden albums.

Biography

Works

References