Who painted Plate 12: A Swordfish and Three Other Fish?

Plate 12: A Swordfish and Three Other Fish was painted by Joris Hoefnagel in 1594.

Where can I see Plate 12: A Swordfish and Three Other Fish?

Plate 12: A Swordfish and Three Other Fish is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Plate 12: A Swordfish and Three Other Fish?

Plate 12: A Swordfish and Three Other Fish is associated with Renaissance.

Artwork

Plate 12: A Swordfish and Three Other Fish

Joris Hoefnagel , 1594

Plate 12: A Swordfish and Three Other Fish 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. Created circa 1594, this watercolor and gold-painted illustration on parchment depicts a swordfish accompanied by three smaller fish.

About this work

Overview

Created circa 1594, this watercolor and gold-painted illustration on parchment depicts a swordfish accompanied by three smaller fish.

Created circa 1594, this watercolor and gold-painted illustration on parchment depicts a swordfish accompanied by three smaller fish. Executed by the Flemish artist Joris Hoefnagel, the work belongs to the tradition of manuscript illumination, a medium that was nearing its end in the late sixteenth century. It exemplifies Hoefnagel’s meticulous observation of aquatic life and his skill in rendering fine detail on a delicate support.

Subject & Meaning

The central figure is a swordfish, rendered with a realistic sense of scale and movement, flanked by three lesser fish that provide compositional balance. While primarily a naturalistic study, the grouping may also reflect contemporary interests in cataloguing and understanding marine species, aligning the image with the broader scientific curiosity of the period.

Technique & Style

Hoefnagel employed transparent watercolor washes to model the bodies of the fish, while fine lines of gold paint accentuate scales and highlight reflective surfaces. The delicate parchment surface allows for subtle layering, and the artist’s precise brushwork conveys texture and translucency, characteristic of late Renaissance illumination combined with emerging natural history illustration methods.

History & Provenance

The drawing originates from Hoefnagel’s later career, when he was transitioning from illuminated manuscripts to independent topographical and botanical works. It is one of the few surviving examples of his watercolour practice on parchment, and it has remained in scholarly collections that focus on early scientific illustration, though its exact ownership trail before the modern era is not fully documented.

Context

During the 1590s, northern European artists were beginning to treat floral and animal subjects as autonomous genres rather than decorative elements. Hoefnagel’s work contributed to this shift, bridging the decorative illumination tradition with the emerging practice of detailed natural history drawing, a development that would influence later still‑life painters and scientific illustrators.