Who painted Plate 22: Two White Pelicans with a Sycamore Fig?

Plate 22: Two White Pelicans with a Sycamore Fig was painted by Joris Hoefnagel in 1594.

Where can I see Plate 22: Two White Pelicans with a Sycamore Fig?

Plate 22: Two White Pelicans with a Sycamore Fig is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Plate 22: Two White Pelicans with a Sycamore Fig?

Plate 22: Two White Pelicans with a Sycamore Fig is associated with Renaissance.

Artwork

Plate 22: Two White Pelicans with a Sycamore Fig

Joris Hoefnagel , 1594

Plate 22: Two White Pelicans with a Sycamore Fig 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 circular composition by the Flemish artist Joris Hoefnagel depicts two white pelicans perched on a tiny, yellow‑toned island within a shallow body of water. A branch bearing green leaves and a few sycamore figs arches above the birds, framing the scene against a minimal backdrop of blue water and a hint of land.

Subject & Meaning

The work presents a quiet natural tableau: one pelican stands upright with its long beak extended, while the other is crouched, its body folded inward. The inclusion of the sycamore fig, a fruit associated with abundance, suggests a study of both avian and botanical specimens rather than a narrative scene, emphasizing observation over allegory.

Technique & Style

Executed in watercolor with touches of gold paint on parchment, Hoefnagel employed delicate glazing to build translucent layers, achieving subtle depth and a luminous quality. Fine, controlled lines render the plumage and foliage with precision, reflecting the artist’s background in manuscript illumination and his meticulous approach to natural history illustration.

History & Provenance

The piece belongs to Hoefnagel’s larger corpus of scientific and topographical drawings produced for aristocratic patrons in the late sixteenth century. It survives as part of a manuscript collection that illustrates the transition from illuminated books to independent naturalistic studies in northern Europe.

Context

During the 1590s, Flemish artists increasingly combined artistic skill with empirical observation, catering to a growing interest in cataloguing the natural world. Hoefnagel, one of the last practitioners of elaborate manuscript illumination, merged decorative elegance with the emerging scientific impulse, positioning this work at the intersection of art and early modern natural history.