1594
gouache
vellum
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Plate 68: Seven Bees and Flies is a 1594 gouache by Joris Hoefnagel, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This drawing shows seven small bugs—some look like bees, some like flies. They’re all inside a circle with a gold border. The bugs are colored in soft browns, yellows, and grays, and some have tiny details like fuzzy bodies or striped legs. The text at the top is in old Latin, which just means “the foolish fly is driven away in series.” That’s a clue this isn’t just random bugs—it’s a careful study of them. Next, check out watercolor, glazing to see how artists built up colors like this.
Joris Hoefnagel or Georg Hoefnagel (1542 – 24 July 1601) was a Flemish painter, printmaker, miniaturist, draftsman and merchant.
See the richer artist page
