1594
gouache
vellum
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Plate 16: Black-Veined White, Clouded Yellow, Black Hairstreak(?), Geranium Argus(?), and Common Blue Butterflies with Two Chrysalides is a 1594 gouache by Joris Hoefnagel, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This drawing shows five butterflies and two chrysalises on a plain background. The butterflies have soft colors—yellow, white, and brown—with some spots. One looks almost see-through. The chrysalises are small and brown. The whole thing is framed in a thin gold line. The artist used a special method to paint the butterflies’ colors. They look almost real, with tiny details on the wings. This was done in the 1500s. Look up watercolor, glazing to see how artists made colors look so bright back then.
Joris Hoefnagel or Georg Hoefnagel (1542 – 24 July 1601) was a Flemish painter, printmaker, miniaturist, draftsman and merchant.
See the richer artist page
