1594
gouache
vellum
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Blue Underwing Moth and Spurge Hawk Moth (plate 25 from Ignis) is a 1594 gouache by Joris Hoefnagel, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This painting shows two moths pinned side by side on a plain background. The top moth has dark, fuzzy wings with a hint of blue near the edges. Below it, the second moth has pale wings with bold red and black stripes. Both are drawn with careful attention to tiny details like antennae and wing veins. The artist used a mix of watercolor and gold paint to make the moths look almost real. The blue underwing moth’s subtle color shifts might be done with a technique called glazing—layering thin, see-through paint. Next, look up technique: watercolor, glazing to see how artists create depth with light.
Joris Hoefnagel or Georg Hoefnagel (1542 – 24 July 1601) was a Flemish painter, printmaker, miniaturist, draftsman and merchant.
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