Dorothea Kreps (1734–1772) was a Dutch draughtswoman and painter of flowers and fruit, working
within the refined tradition of 18th-century botanical study. Her work exists at the intersection of art
and early scientific inquiry.
In a period when botanical illustration was closely tied to the expanding
knowledge of horticulture and classification, Kreps is believed to have studied plant species directly
in botanical gardens, most likely in Amsterdam. Her oeuvre is exceedingly rare.
Only a limited number of works are known today, including contributions to the celebrated Atlas Moninckx — one
of the most important botanical documentation projects of the Dutch Republic. Kreps lived and
worked in Amsterdam after her marriage to the gardener Johannes Storm, maintaining a studio
above the greenhouses where she continued her practice. Her life was cut short in 1772, when she
died shortly after childbirth at the age of thirty-eight.
Her works are characterised by a quiet
precision — a restrained palette, fine linear detailing, and a sensitivity to natural form. This rare
work by Dorothea Kreps has been placed in a private collection in Leiden.
