Plate 9: A Donkey and a Mule

Hoefnagel employed fine watercolor washes to model the soft coats, allowing each hair to be discerned, while delicate gold lines outline the figures, providing contrast against the pale parchment. The decorative yet precise approach reflects the late‑Renaissance manuscript illumination tradition, merging scientific observation with ornamental elegance.

The drawing is part of a series of animal plates produced by Hoefnagel toward the end of his career, when he was among the last artists to work in the illuminated manuscript format. It entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, where it is displayed among his other natural‑history illustrations.

In the late sixteenth century, northern European artists began to explore floral and animal still‑life subjects, moving beyond purely religious themes. Hoefnagel’s work contributed to this shift, offering a model of detailed observation that influenced subsequent still‑life painters in the region.