1594
gouache
vellum
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Plate 23: A Fat-Tailed Sheep, a Sheep with a Long Tail, a "Cassia purgatrix,"and Other Plants is a 1594 gouache by Joris Hoefnagel, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This picture shows a sheep standing on a grassy hill, eating a small plant growing from the ground. Behind it, a tree branch stretches across the top, holding leaves and a few berries. Another sheep grazes in the background, and the whole scene is framed in a circle with gold paint. The sheep has a thick, fluffy tail—this was likely meant to show a special kind of sheep. The words around the picture are in Latin, hinting at a lesson about nature or farming. Next, check out watercolor, glazing to see how artists built up colors like this.
Joris Hoefnagel or Georg Hoefnagel (1542 – 24 July 1601) was a Flemish painter, printmaker, miniaturist, draftsman and merchant.
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