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Archetypa studiaque patris Georgii Hoefnagelii [Part 3, Plate 11]

Jacob Hoefnagel

1592

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance

Dominant colour

Archetypa studiaque patris Georgii Hoefnagelii [Part 3, Plate 11] is a 1592 ink by Jacob Hoefnagel, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Jacob Hoefnagel
When & what style?: 1592 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This black-and-white drawing shows a busy garden corner. A big, round gourd hangs heavy on a vine, while flowers bloom nearby—some like tiny roses, others like wild daisies. Beetles, butterflies, and a snail crawl or rest on leaves, and a spider sits still on a web. The lines are sharp, almost like they were scratched into the paper. The tiny Latin words at the top and bottom sound like advice: *"Wait and watch for cicadas."* It’s like the artist wanted you to pause and notice small, everyday things. Next, look up engraving to see how artists like this made detailed prints by carving into metal.

About the artist

Artist

Jacob Hoefnagel

Jacob Hoefnagel (also 'Jacobus', 'Jakob' or 'Jakub") (1573 in Antwerp – c.1632 in Hamburg), was a Flemish painter, printmaker, miniaturist, draftsman, art dealer, diplomat, merchant and politician.

See the richer artist page