1594
gouache
vellum
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Plate 5: Stag Beetle is a 1594 gouache by Joris Hoefnagel, a Renaissance work, depicting Insect, held at National Gallery of Art.
This painting shows a stag beetle on a white background. It’s a watercolor with gold paint details. The bug looks three-dimensional, almost alive. Hoefnagel didn’t just paint the beetle. He studied its legs, wings, and pincers closely. The gold touches make it pop against the plain background. His tiny, precise brushwork feels like a science book. See it side-by-side with Hoefnagel, Joris.
Joris Hoefnagel or Georg Hoefnagel (1542 – 24 July 1601) was a Flemish painter, printmaker, miniaturist, draftsman and merchant.
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