Artwork
Plate 19: Two Butterflies with Five Other Insects
Plate 19: Two Butterflies with Five Other Insects 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
Created circa 1594, this small-scale work by Flemish artist Joris Hoefnagel combines watercolor and gold paint on a sheet of parchment.
Created circa 1594, this small-scale work by Flemish artist Joris Hoefnagel combines watercolor and gold paint on a sheet of parchment. The composition features two butterflies positioned at the top, their wings opened in a delicate, almost paper‑like fashion, while five additional insects—beetles, a fly and a moth—are arranged beneath them. Gold edging frames the parchment, adding a subtle luminous border.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing presents a miniature study of insects, emphasizing both their anatomical details and their ornamental qualities. By juxtaposing the larger butterflies with smaller, varied species, Hoefnagel highlights the diversity of the natural world and reflects the period’s growing fascination with cataloguing flora and fauna.
Technique & Style
Hoefnagel employs an extremely thin watercolor wash that renders the insects with near‑transparent delicacy. Gold paint is applied behind the butterfly wings, creating a faint glow that enhances the sense of depth. The precision of the brushwork and the decorative gold edging reveal his background in manuscript illumination.
History & Provenance
The piece belongs to Hoefnagel’s series of natural‑history plates produced for a larger illustrated manuscript. As one of the last artists working in the illuminated‑manuscript tradition, he merged scientific observation with the decorative aesthetics of the late Renaissance.
Context
During the late 16th century, northern European artists began integrating detailed botanical and zoological studies into their work, laying groundwork for the floral still‑life genre. Hoefnagel’s meticulous rendering of insects exemplifies this shift, bridging the gap between scholarly illustration and decorative art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Joris Hoefnagel or Georg Hoefnagel (1542 – 24 July 1601) was a Flemish painter, printmaker, miniaturist, draftsman and merchant.
Forum Vulcani: The Hot Springs at Pozzuoli
Plate 76: Insects with a Pink and Cream Columbine
Plate 51: Two Sand Lizards, a Common Parsley Frog(?), and a Caterpillar
Plate 1: Elephant with Insects
Plate 60: Magpie, Crow, and Goldfinch
Plate 67: Two Doves beneath a Gourd and Apples
Plate 31: Seven Moths
Plate 21: Swamp Hen and Woodcock with a Streaked Rosefinch, a Finch, and Oak Galls
Plate 34: Two Moths with a Spider, a Caterpillar, a Damselfly, and Other Insects
Plate 18: Two Butterflies and a Moth with a Damselfly, Two Ants, and Four Other Insects
Plate 49: A Grasshopper, a Caterpillar, a Butterfly, a Moth, and Other Insects
Plate 17: Brimstone and Meadow Brown(?) Butterflies, a Blue Chaser, and Two Small Insects
Plate 62: Ten Insects
Plate 20: Three Butterflies, a Caterpillar, a Bee, Two Chrysalides, and Three Weevils
Plate 73: Ten Insects
Plate 11: Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral Butterflies with a Mole Cricket
Plate 33: Moth and Butterfly with other Insects and a Columbine Flower
Plate 22: A Cinnabar Moth and a Cockchafer with Butterflies, other Insects, and a Snapdragon
Plate 15: Grayling Butterfly, Magpie Moth, and Two Chrysalides
Plate 51: Grasshoppers and a Caterpillar with a Four O'Clock Flower