Who painted Plate 59: Curlew and Crow with Horse Skull?

Plate 59: Curlew and Crow with Horse Skull was painted by Joris Hoefnagel in 1594.

Where can I see Plate 59: Curlew and Crow with Horse Skull?

Plate 59: Curlew and Crow with Horse Skull is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Plate 59: Curlew and Crow with Horse Skull?

Plate 59: Curlew and Crow with Horse Skull is associated with Renaissance.

Can I buy a print of Plate 59: Curlew and Crow with Horse Skull?

Museum-quality prints of Plate 59: Curlew and Crow with Horse Skull are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Plate 59: Curlew and Crow with Horse Skull

Joris Hoefnagel , 1594

Plate 59: Curlew and Crow with Horse Skull 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. Created circa 1594, Plate 59 depicts a curlew and a crow perched beside a horse skull.

Inscription: Inscribed:Upper center in black ink: Melius est in corvos quam in adulatores incidere: Hi enim vinentes, illi / mortuos exedunt./ in red ink: MALI CORVI MALVM OVVM.; center right in (gold?): LIX.; birds in image numbered .1. and .2.; lower center in (gold?): Quis praeparat CORVO escam suam quando pulli eius / clamant ad deum, vagientes eo quod non habeant / Cibos. Job 38. (“Who provides the raven with her food? When her young ones cry to God, wandering about, because they have no meat.” Job 38:41) (Latin Vulgate Bible) Facing page: upper center in black ink: Sed tacitus pasci si posset Corvus Haberet, / Plus dapis, et rixa multo minus Invidieq[ue].; lower center in black ink: Est aliquid quo tendis, et in quod dirigis arcum? / An passim corvuos sequeris, testaq[ue], lutoq[ue]? / Securos quo pes ferat; etq[ue] ex tempore vivis?

About this work

Overview

Created circa 1594, Plate 59 depicts a curlew and a crow perched beside a horse skull. Executed in watercolor with touches of gold on parchment, the image combines natural observation with the decorative sensibility of manuscript illumination. It exemplifies the work of Joris Hoefnagel, a Flemish artist whose career bridged scientific illustration and emerging still‑life traditions.

Subject & Meaning

The composition brings together a wading bird, a scavenging crow, and the skeletal remains of a horse, juxtaposing life, death, and the natural world’s cycles. By presenting these elements together, Hoefnagel invites contemplation of the fragility of living creatures and the study of anatomy, themes common in late‑sixteenth‑century natural history art.

Technique & Style

Watercolor provides delicate washes for feathers and flesh, while fine gold appliqué highlights details such as the birds’ eyes and the skull’s contours. The use of parchment recalls illuminated manuscripts, allowing the artist to apply a meticulous, layered approach that balances scientific accuracy with ornamental elegance.

History & Provenance

Plate 59 belongs to a series of illustrated plates produced by Hoefnagel toward the end of the manuscript illumination tradition in northern Europe. The work survived as part of a private collection before entering a museum archive in the early twentieth century, where it remains a reference point for studies of early natural‑history illustration.