Artwork

Plate 54: Sea Cucumbers, Sea Urchins, Starfish, a Sea Nettle, a "Sea Hare," and Other Marine Life

Plate 54: Sea Cucumbers, Sea Urchins, Starfish, a Sea Nettle, a "Sea Hare," and Other Marine Life 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:upper center in black ink: TOTVS ECHINVS ASPER. (“A sea urchin is rough all over.” Erasmus, _Adages_, 2.9.59) (trans. Bass 2019, 221); echinoderms in image numbered .1., .2., .3., .4., .5., .6., .7., .8., .9., .10., .11, .12., .13., .14., .15., .16., .20., .21., .22., and .23., in red ink; center right in brown ink: LIV. Facing page: upper center in blue ink: .1. / Iste licet digitos testudines pungat acuta: / Cortice deposito, mollis Echinus erit.; lower center in red/violet ink: Vive tibi tecumq[ue] habita nec grandia tentes; / Effugit immodicas, parvula puppis AQVAS (“Live for yourself and reside with yourself, and do not try great things. The small ship flees unruly waters.” Labeled as Ovid in Comenius, _Lexicon atriale_, 473-74) (trans. Bass 2019, 221)

About this work

Overview

Created circa 1594, this watercolor and gold-painted illustration on parchment presents a compact underwater tableau populated by a variety of marine organisms. The composition is framed by a gilded border and includes a distant ship on the horizon, suggesting a broader seascape beyond the detailed study.

Subject & Meaning

The image records several invertebrates, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, starfish, a sea nettle, and a creature identified as a “sea hare”, arranged among spiky and filamentous forms that may represent algae or other sea flora. The labeling of each specimen indicates an intent to catalogue rather than merely decorate.

Technique & Style

Executed in transparent watercolor washes layered to achieve depth, the work also incorporates fine gold leaf accents that outline forms and enhance the sense of light filtering through water. The delicate glazing and precise line work reflect Hoefnagel’s background in manuscript illumination.

History & Provenance

The drawing is part of a larger series of marine studies produced by the Flemish artist Joris Hoefnagel, who combined his skills as a draftsman and a merchant to travel and document natural subjects. The plate was likely assembled for a private collection of natural history illustrations in the late sixteenth century.

Context

Hoefnagel’s marine plates contributed to the emergence of topographical and still‑life genres in northern Europe, bridging scientific observation with artistic representation. His meticulous approach anticipates later natural‑history illustration traditions that emphasized accuracy alongside aesthetic appeal.