Plate 17: Old World Porcupine (Hystrix) and Wild Pig

Executed with fine watercolor washes, the artist achieves delicate gradations of fur and quill, while precise brushwork defines the animals’ musculature. Gold paint is applied sparingly to accentuate highlights, particularly on the quills and foliage, reflecting a lingering manuscript illumination tradition within a Renaissance naturalist aesthetic.

Attributed to Joris Hoefnagel, a Flemish draftsman noted for his scientific approach to flora and fauna, the piece belongs to a series of illustrated plates produced for a private natural history manuscript. It stands among the later examples of illuminated parchment before the medium fell out of favor in the early seventeenth century.

Hoefnagel’s work bridges the detailed observation characteristic of early modern natural history with the decorative elegance of Northern Renaissance art. By integrating accurate animal depiction with ornamental gold, the plate exemplifies the period’s merging of scholarly inquiry and visual luxury, a hallmark of elite collections of the time.