Agnes Block

Agnes, or Agneta Block (29 October 1629, Emmerich am Rhein – 20 April 1704, Amsterdam) was a Dutch art collector and horticulturalist.

She is most remembered as the compiler of an album of flower and insect paintings and as one of the first Europeans to successfully cultivate and fruit the pineapple outside of its native habitat.

In Amsterdam, she lived on the Herengracht close to Joost van den Vondel, who became a regular visitor at her house.

Other painters from Hoorn were Johannes Bronkhorst, Herman Henstenburgh, and a friend of Alida's father, Otto Marseus van Schrieck.

[3] Painters from other cities who lived at Vijverhof and made contributions were Maria Sibylla Merian, her daughter Johanna Helena Herolts-Graff, Pieter Holsteyn II, Nicolaas Juweel (Rotterdam, 1639 - Rotterdam, 1704), Jan Moninckx, Maria Moninckx, Herman Saftleven, Rochus van Veen, Marino Benaglia Venetiano, and Nicolaes de Vree.

Agneta Block and her garden Flora Batava at Vijverhof, by Jan Weenix .
Agneta Blok as Flora Batava on a commemorative medal by Jan Boskam, 1700
Decorative garland with a portrait medaillon at the top of Agnes Block based on a coin stamped by J. Roscam, and with the Block family coat of arms at the bottom, surrounding the text "Nette Afbeelding / Van / Uytheemsche Plant / En / Bloem - Gewassen / Gequeckt door / Agneta Block / Op / Vyver-Hoffe", and at the bottom inscribed with "Pieter de Wolff Schript / Albert van Spiers . invt / J: Helena Herolt "
Vijverhof today; home to the Netherlands Institute for Ecology .