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Archetypa studiaque patris Georgii Hoefnagelii [Part 3, Plate 2]

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 2] 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 picture is a black-and-white engraving of a mouse on a tiny table. The mouse holds a snake in its paws. Around them are flowers, a dragonfly, a spider, and a snail. Everything looks very detailed, even the tiny hairs on the mouse’s tail. The words below the mouse say *"Svo ipsius indicio perit sorex"*—Latin for *"The mouse dies by its own fault."* This is a warning about being too curious. Next, check out engraving to see how artists carved these sharp details 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