1594
gouache
vellum
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Title Page is a 1594 gouache by Joris Hoefnagel, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This page looks like an old book cover but is actually a painted title. Bright gold letters spell out *Animalia Rationalia et Insecta*, meaning "rational animals and insects." Swirling ribbons in pink, yellow, and blue frame the text, with tiny flowers and flames at the top. The words at the bottom are in Latin, and the whole thing feels fancy, like something from a royal library. The artist used watercolor and gold paint on parchment, which was unusual for the time. Next, check out technique: 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.
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