The popular term “renaissance man,” meaning a person with extensive knowledge, is rooted in the richly interdisciplinary world of the early modern era. Naturalists wrote poetry while artists invented new scientific instruments and composed music. Because they were largely shut out of most formal models of training and education, early modern women were even more likely than men to cross between and move among different disciplines and activities. Take a closer look at Rachel Ruysch as one example of a creative and intellectual woman, and look at the broader community of women in the Netherlands who pushed boundaries and progressively crafted more public lives and careers in the 1600s and 1700s.

Nicole Cook, senior program manager, Center for Netherlandish Art

Course Packages

Purchase a ticket package for the full four-session “Rachel Ruysch: Art, Science, and Society” course. Please note that this option is not available after the date of the first session.