Agnes Block

Life & Legacy

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. She bore the nickname "Flora Batava," referencing the goddess of flowers and her Dutch identity. She is often lost to history because of the misspelling of her name. As well as differences in her first name, her last name was also spelled interchangeably as Block or Blok.