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Archetypa studiaque patris Georgii Hoefnagelii [Part 2, Plate 9]

Jacob Hoefnagel

1592

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance

Dominant colour

Archetypa studiaque patris Georgii Hoefnagelii [Part 2, Plate 9] 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 scene packed with tiny details. You see flowers, leaves, and vines tangled together. Insects like beetles, ants, and a dragonfly crawl or hover around. A mushroom sits on the ground, and a snake slithers near a cluster of grapes. The whole scene is framed by a border, with a short Latin phrase at the top. The artist used fine lines to create texture, making each leaf and insect look real. This kind of careful drawing was common in the 1500s to study nature closely. Next, look up engraving to see how artists like this made detailed prints.

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