Plate 37: Six Fish, Including Carp c. 1575 - 1580

Joris Hoefnagel created this illustration of six fish, including carp, with watercolor and gouache, sometime before 1600. Each fish is rendered with precise detail against a light blue wash, suggesting water within an oval frame. The arrangement of the fish creates a sense of movement, as if they are swimming in a circular pattern, drawing the viewer's eye around the composition. The use of varied textures and subtle gradations of color lends a sense of depth to the scales and fins. Hoefnagel’s exacting detail and the ordering principle behind the image is reflective of the period's fascination with natural history. His work belongs to a tradition where art serves as a form of empirical documentation. Yet, the composition, confined within its oval border, hints at a deeper engagement with ideas about the world. It suggests a world ordered by the artist's hand, framed and contained. Consider how the work exists at the intersection of art, science and philosophy. Hoefnagel invites us to reflect on the structures we impose on nature.