1594
gouache
vellum
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Plate 75: A Fly and Other Insects with an Iris is a 1594 gouache by Joris Hoefnagel, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This painting shows a purple iris plant with a long green stem and three leaves. Around it, six small insects are scattered—some look like flies, others like beetles. The whole scene sits inside a round gold border on a light background. The text at the top reads *"Habet et Musca splenem"* (Latin for "the fly has a spleen"), which is oddly specific. The artist used watercolor and gold paint on parchment, making the colors soft but the gold stand out. Look up technique: watercolor, glazing next to see how layers of paint create depth.
Joris Hoefnagel or Georg Hoefnagel (1542 – 24 July 1601) was a Flemish painter, printmaker, miniaturist, draftsman and merchant.
See the richer artist page
