Open full image Pin

Archetypa studiaque patris Georgii Hoefnagelii [Part 4, Plate 8]

Jacob Hoefnagel

1592

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance

Dominant colour

Archetypa studiaque patris Georgii Hoefnagelii [Part 4, Plate 8] 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 image shows a detailed black-and-white drawing of plants, insects, and a fish. The leaves, flowers, and acorns fill the top half, while a long fish with spots swims below. Tiny bugs crawl among the branches, and the whole scene looks like it’s framed by a border. The artist used fine lines and shading to make everything look real and precise. This kind of careful drawing was common in the 1500s for studying nature. Next, look up engraving to see how artists like this made 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