Who painted Plate 58: Asps and Vipers?

Plate 58: Asps and Vipers was painted by Joris Hoefnagel in 1594.

Where can I see Plate 58: Asps and Vipers?

Plate 58: Asps and Vipers is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Plate 58: Asps and Vipers?

Plate 58: Asps and Vipers is associated with Renaissance.

Can I buy a print of Plate 58: Asps and Vipers?

Museum-quality prints of Plate 58: Asps and Vipers are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Plate 58: Asps and Vipers

Joris Hoefnagel , 1594

Plate 58: Asps and Vipers 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 red ink: Non semper tollunt, ad vulnera colla CERASTAE; upper center in (gold?): ASPIS, A VIPERA CONSILIV[M] CAPIT.; center right in brown ink: LVIII; animals in image numbered .1., .2., .3., .4., 5., and .6., in red ink; lower center in black/violet: Quasi a facie serpentis fuge Peccata, Dentes leonis, dentes eius / Interficientes animas hominum.Ecc[us].21. (“Flee from sin as from the face of a serpent: the teeth are as the teeth of a lion, slaying the souls of man.” Ecclesiasticus 21: 2 and 3) (Latin Vulgate Bible) Facing page: upper center in brown ink: Qui legitis flores et humi nascentia fragra: / Frigidus, o pueri, fugite hinc latet Anguis in herba.; lower center in brown ink: Parva necat morsu spatiosum Vipera Taurum / A cane non magno saepe tenetur Aper.

About this work

Overview

Created circa 1594, Plate 58: Asps and Vipers is a small-scale work executed in watercolor and gold on parchment. The Flemish artist Joris Hoefnagel rendered the serpents with meticulous detail, situating the drawing within his broader corpus of natural‑history illustration.

Subject & Meaning

The image presents a pair of venomous snakes, an asp and a viper, intertwined among foliage. By focusing on these creatures, Hoefnagel highlights both their anatomical features and their symbolic associations with danger and mortality, a common theme in late‑sixteenth‑century emblematic art.

Technique & Style

Hoefnagel employed the fine brushwork of watercolor to achieve delicate shading, while the application of gold paint adds a luminous accent to the scales and background. The rendering balances scientific observation with the ornamental flourish typical of manuscript illumination.

History & Provenance

As one of the final examples of the manuscript illumination tradition, the drawing reflects Hoefnagel’s transition from courtly manuscripts to printed natural‑history volumes. The work has remained within collections of early modern drawings, tracing its ownership through several European libraries before entering its present museum context.

Context

Plate 58 contributes to the emergence of independent flora and fauna studies in northern European art. Hoefnagel’s precise yet decorative approach influenced later naturalists and artists who sought to combine empirical detail with aesthetic refinement in the depiction of the natural world.