Insecten 1630

Jacob Hoefnagel made this engraving of insects with an egg, sometime between 1575 and 1640. It speaks to the early modern fascination with the natural world. Hoefnagel, born in Antwerp, was part of a vibrant artistic culture where the natural world was examined with new intensity. The detail he uses here is a sign of the increasing interest in scientific observation. The engraving also features an egg containing an embryo. In the center of the composition, it is presented in a way that echoes the many paintings of the Madonna and Child, pointing to a culture in which the scientific study of nature, and religious faith, were closely intertwined. Art history can show how artists like Hoefnagel were participants in the broader intellectual shifts of their time. To better understand his work, we can look at period texts on natural history, as well as the biographies of scientists and artists of the era. In the end, this image reminds us that what we now call science and art were once part of a single pursuit: the understanding of God's creation.