Who painted Plate 78: Ten Insects, Including a Blue Fly?

Plate 78: Ten Insects, Including a Blue Fly was painted by Joris Hoefnagel in 1594.

Where can I see Plate 78: Ten Insects, Including a Blue Fly?

Plate 78: Ten Insects, Including a Blue Fly is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Plate 78: Ten Insects, Including a Blue Fly?

Plate 78: Ten Insects, Including a Blue Fly is associated with Renaissance.

Can I buy a print of Plate 78: Ten Insects, Including a Blue Fly?

Museum-quality prints of Plate 78: Ten Insects, Including a Blue Fly are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Plate 78: Ten Insects, Including a Blue Fly

Joris Hoefnagel , 1594

Plate 78: Ten Insects, Including a Blue Fly 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 black ink: IMPROBA MVSCA.; insects in image numbered .1., .2., .3., and .4., in red ink; center right in (gold?): LXXVIII. Facing page: Upper center in red ink: Non dux non princeps, non Rex, non demiq[ue] Papa / mangiaret ni stet, Musca galanta comes.

About this work

Overview

Created circa 1594, this miniature work by Joris Hoefnagel presents a group of ten insects rendered in watercolor and accented with gold on a parchment support. The composition arranges each creature with careful spacing, allowing individual details to be observed within the limited scale of the drawing.

Subject & Meaning

The central focus is a collection of insects, notably a blue‑tinged fly, each depicted with anatomical precision. Accompanying foliage and blossoms serve both as natural context and as decorative elements, highlighting the artist’s interest in the interplay between the living subjects and their environment.

Technique & Style

Hoefnagel employs fine watercolor washes to model form and texture, while touches of gold paint add reflective highlights that enhance the three‑dimensional illusion. The meticulous line work and layered coloration reflect the late‑Renaissance tradition of manuscript illumination, merging scientific observation with ornamental design.

History & Provenance

As one of the final practitioners of illuminated manuscript art, Hoefnagel produced this piece during a period when such works were transitioning to printed natural‑history volumes. The drawing is associated with his broader oeuvre of botanical and zoological studies, which circulated among collectors and scholars in the Low Countries.

Context

The drawing exemplifies the burgeoning interest in detailed natural studies that characterized northern European art at the turn of the 17th century. Hoefnagel’s integration of decorative gold and precise observation anticipates the development of floral still‑life painting in the region.