Butterflies and moths with shimmering wings alight on delicately painted leaves; shiny beetles traverse plants in various stages of blooming. Barbara Regina Dietzsch’s flowers not only convey closely observed details of the plant’s structure and hues, but also present a miniature drama of insect activity. This combination of realism and narrative is typical of her flower studies, for which she became internationally known during her lifetime. Born into an artistic family in Nuremberg, Germany, a university city with a robust scientific community, Dietzsch specialized in the portrayal of flowers and animals, and trained her sister Margaretha Barbara to paint similar subject matter.