1594
gouache
vellum
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Plate 57: A Ladybug, a Fly, and Four Other Insects is a 1594 gouache by Joris Hoefnagel, a Renaissance work, depicting Insect, held at National Gallery of Art.
This tiny watercolor shows a ladybug, a fly, and four other insects on pale parchment. Gold paint outlines their delicate wings and legs. The artist shaded each bug with fine, careful strokes. Joris Hoefnagel painted these insects around 1575. He used watercolor and added translucent glazes to make colors glow. It’s one of the earliest European insect studies done in color. Find more like it at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
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 →
