Plate 29: Homelyn Ray and Four Other Rays or Skates c. 1575 - 1580

Joris Hoefnagel made this watercolor and gouache painting of five rays or skates around the turn of the 17th century. His meticulous depictions of flora and fauna were part of a broader cultural moment when artists and scientists sought to classify and understand the natural world. During the Renaissance, the ocean was often perceived as a mysterious, dangerous place, and the creatures that inhabited it were viewed with a mixture of fear and fascination. Hoefnagel’s decision to paint these rays, therefore, places them within a narrative deeply embedded in the cultural imagination of the time. Each ray is rendered with careful attention to detail, from their unique markings to their varying shapes and sizes, but it also reflects the early scientific attempts to categorize and understand biodiversity. The rays are displayed almost as specimens, floating in a contained blue space. The painting invites us to reflect on our relationship with the natural world, then and now. How do we, as humans, seek to understand, categorize, and represent the world around us, and what does this say about our own place within it?