Plate 52: Four Grasshoppers c. 1575 - 1580

This exquisite watercolor painting by Joris Hoefnagel, "Plate 52: Four Grasshoppers," dates from 1575-1580 and showcases the artist's mastery in depicting minute detail. Four grasshoppers are meticulously rendered against a plain white background, enclosed in a gold oval. Hoefnagel's attention to the intricate anatomy of the insects and their delicate, lifelike postures is evident in this miniature, representative of the artistic and scientific currents of the time. This study of naturalism is a fine example of the meticulous observation characteristic of 16th-century Dutch art.