Who painted Plate 35: The Undersides of Turbot(?) and Other Flat Fish?

Plate 35: The Undersides of Turbot(?) and Other Flat Fish was painted by Joris Hoefnagel in 1594.

Where can I see Plate 35: The Undersides of Turbot(?) and Other Flat Fish?

Plate 35: The Undersides of Turbot(?) and Other Flat Fish is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Plate 35: The Undersides of Turbot(?) and Other Flat Fish?

Plate 35: The Undersides of Turbot(?) and Other Flat Fish is associated with Renaissance.

Can I buy a print of Plate 35: The Undersides of Turbot(?) and Other Flat Fish?

Museum-quality prints of Plate 35: The Undersides of Turbot(?) and Other Flat Fish are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Plate 35: The Undersides of Turbot(?) and Other Flat Fish

Joris Hoefnagel , 1594

Plate 35: The Undersides of Turbot(?) and Other Flat Fish is a gouache drawing by the Renaissance artist Joris Hoefnagel. It dates from 1594 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:Fish in image numbered .1., .2., .3., .4., and .5., in red ink; center right in (gold?): XXXV. Facing page: upper center in blue ink: Fulgentes soleae candore, et concolor illlis / Passeri; et Adriaco mirandus littore Rhombus.; lower center in red/violet ink: Quando circu[m]dabat MARI terminum suum, et legem ponebat / AQVIS ne transirent fines suos, ego sapientia aderam :pro:8. (“When he compassed the sea with its bounds and set a law to the waters that they should not pass their limits, I knowledge was there." Proverbs 8:29) (Latin Vulgate Bible)

About this work

Overview

Created circa 1594, this small watercolor and gold‑painted illustration on parchment depicts the ventral surfaces of a turbot, identified with some uncertainty, and several other flat fish. It is catalogued as Plate 35 in Joris Hoefnagel’s natural‑history series and exemplifies the meticulous approach of late‑sixteenth‑century manuscript illustration.

Subject & Meaning

The image presents the anatomical underside of a turbot, a prized culinary fish, alongside other demersal species. By exposing the hidden side of these creatures, Hoefnagel offers a study of form and texture that goes beyond decorative purposes, hinting at an early scientific curiosity about marine life.

Technique & Style

Executed with fine watercolor washes and delicate applications of gold leaf, the work balances precise line work with subtle tonal modeling. The use of parchment as a support reflects the manuscript tradition, while the naturalistic rendering anticipates later scientific illustration.

History & Provenance

Joris Hoefnagel, a Flemish painter noted for his topographical and botanical drawings, produced this plate toward the end of his career as a manuscript illuminator. It formed part of a larger compendium of zoological studies that circulated among collectors and scholars in northern Europe.

Context

The illustration belongs to a period when artists increasingly merged artistic skill with empirical observation, contributing to the emergence of natural history as a distinct discipline. Hoefnagel’s work sits alongside contemporary botanical and zoological manuscripts that documented flora and fauna with unprecedented accuracy.