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Archetypa studiaque patris Georgii Hoefnagelii [Part 1, Plate 3]

Jacob Hoefnagel

1592

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance

Dominant colour

Archetypa studiaque patris Georgii Hoefnagelii [Part 1, Plate 3] 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 engraving shows a mouse gnawing on a snail, a caterpillar, a beetle, and a mushroom. Around them, butterflies, a grasshopper, and a spider hang from stems and leaves. The scene looks like a garden, but everything is drawn with sharp lines and heavy shading. The title at the top reads *"Virum improbum vel mures mordent"*—Latin for *"Bad men are eaten by mice."* The artist packed a lot of tiny details into this small space. Next, look up engraving to see how this technique works.

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