Magdalene Bärens

Magdalene Margrethe Bärens (née Schäffer) (30 September 1737 – 6 June 1808) was a Danish still-life painter known for her paintings of flowers. She was one of the first professional female artists in Denmark, and the first woman to be admitted into the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.

Bärens primarily painted flowers, together with birds and insects, almost exclusively in gouache. She was uniquely concerned with ensuring the flowers were depicted with botanical accuracy and therefore preferred a muted, earthy color palette. The realism of her paintings was praised by botanists, and gained her a reputation as the "first and greatest Danish flower painter". After returning to Denmark, she unsuccessfully applied for a vacant position at the academy in 1795, and in 1796 for a residence at Charlottenborg Palace.

As a widow in 1802, she was given a pension. She died on 6 June 1808 in Copenhagen and was buried in the chapel of Christian's Church.