1594
gouache
vellum
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Plate 56: Water Scorpion, Water Measurer, Pond Skater, Red Water Mite, Leech(?), and Other Water Insects is a 1594 gouache by Joris Hoefnagel, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This image shows a circle of water bugs floating on a light blue background. There’s a big scorpion-like creature on the left, a long black leech at the bottom, and smaller bugs scattered around. The edges of the circle have a thin gold line, and some bugs are labeled with tiny numbers. The artist painted these bugs with careful detail, showing how they look in water. The Latin text at the top means something like “Don’t measure the cuttlefish unless it’s full of blood.” Look up Hoefnagel, Joris to see more of his nature drawings.
Joris Hoefnagel or Georg Hoefnagel (1542 – 24 July 1601) was a Flemish painter, printmaker, miniaturist, draftsman and merchant.
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
