Who painted Plate 17: A Cod, Weever Fish, Eels, and Other Fish?

Plate 17: A Cod, Weever Fish, Eels, and Other Fish was painted by Joris Hoefnagel in 1594.

Where can I see Plate 17: A Cod, Weever Fish, Eels, and Other Fish?

Plate 17: A Cod, Weever Fish, Eels, and Other Fish is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Plate 17: A Cod, Weever Fish, Eels, and Other Fish?

Plate 17: A Cod, Weever Fish, Eels, and Other Fish is associated with Renaissance.

Artwork

Plate 17: A Cod, Weever Fish, Eels, and Other Fish

Joris Hoefnagel , 1594

Plate 17: A Cod, Weever Fish, Eels, and 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.

About this work

Overview

Executed around 1594, this sheet belongs to a series of natural-history studies by Joris Hoefnagel. Rendered in watercolor heightened with gold on prepared parchment, the drawing assembles a cod, weever fish, eels, and several smaller marine specimens. It exemplifies the artist’s dual commitment to scientific exactitude and ornamental refinement.

Subject & Meaning

The composition isolates individual fish against a blank ground, allowing each species to be studied independently. While the arrangement serves taxonomic clarity, the inclusion of gold leaf elevates the imagery beyond mere documentation, suggesting a celebration of nature’s variety and intrinsic beauty.

Technique & Style

Hoefnagel’s method combines translucent watercolor washes with delicate gold highlights, a technique rooted in manuscript illumination. The parchment support, still favored by late-sixteenth-century illuminators, provides a smooth, durable surface that enhances the luminosity of both pigments and metal leaf.

History & Provenance

The sheet was produced as part of a larger suite of natural-history illustrations, likely commissioned by a patron with interests in both art and science. Its survival within a bound volume has preserved its original condition, though the exact sequence of ownership before the modern period remains fragmentary.

Context

During the late Renaissance, northern European artists increasingly turned to direct observation of flora and fauna, a trend Hoefnagel helped advance. His work bridges the medieval tradition of illuminated bestiaries and the emerging genre of independent still-life painting, reflecting broader shifts in artistic and intellectual priorities.