1594
gouache
vellum
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Plate 9: Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Clouded Yellow, and Bath White Butterflies is a 1594 gouache by Joris Hoefnagel, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This drawing shows four butterflies pinned inside a circle. Two are brown with orange edges. One is pale with spots. The last one is bright yellow with black dots. Their wings look delicate, almost see-through. The artist used real butterfly wings for color—some spots shimmer like they’re made of tiny scales. This was a fancy trick back then. Next, check out watercolor, glazing to see how artists built up colors like layers of light.
Joris Hoefnagel or Georg Hoefnagel (1542 – 24 July 1601) was a Flemish painter, printmaker, miniaturist, draftsman and merchant.
See the richer artist page
