Who painted Plate 59: Snakes and a Lizard?

Plate 59: Snakes and a Lizard was painted by Joris Hoefnagel in 1594.

Where can I see Plate 59: Snakes and a Lizard?

Plate 59: Snakes and a Lizard is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Plate 59: Snakes and a Lizard?

Plate 59: Snakes and a Lizard is associated with Renaissance.

Artwork

Plate 59: Snakes and a Lizard

Joris Hoefnagel , 1594

Plate 59: Snakes and a Lizard 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, Plate 59: Snakes and a Lizard is a small-scale work executed in watercolor and gold on parchment. The drawing presents a close‑up grouping of two serpents and a lizard, rendered with meticulous attention to the anatomy and surface texture of each creature. It exemplifies the artist’s commitment to precise observation within a decorative framework.

Subject & Meaning

The composition focuses on the natural forms of the reptiles, arranging them in a balanced triangular layout that emphasizes their sinuous lines and contrasting scales. While the work does not convey an overt narrative, the careful rendering suggests an interest in cataloguing and celebrating the diversity of fauna, a common aim among early modern naturalists.

Technique & Style

Employing transparent watercolor washes alongside delicate applications of gold leaf, the artist achieves a luminous surface that highlights the sheen of the reptiles’ skins. The fine linear drawing, typical of Flemish illumination, combines scientific exactness with ornamental elegance, allowing subtle gradations of tone to suggest depth without abandoning the flat decorative plane of the parchment support.

History & Provenance

The piece is attributed to Joris Hoefnagel, a Flemish illustrator whose career spanned the late sixteenth century. It belongs to a larger manuscript series that documented flora and fauna for aristocratic patrons. The drawing has remained in the collection of a European museum since the nineteenth century, where it is catalogued as part of Hoefnagel’s surviving illuminated manuscripts.

Context

Plate 59 reflects this transitional moment, marrying decorative illumination with empirical observation.

Hoefnagel worked at a time when the boundaries between art and emerging scientific inquiry were fluid. His watercolors contributed to the nascent tradition of topographical and natural‑history illustration in the Low Countries, and they prefigure the floral still‑life genre that would later flourish in northern Europe. Plate 59 reflects this transitional moment, marrying decorative illumination with empirical observation.