Natuurhistorische ensemble (nr. 10) 1596 - 1610

This is an early 17th-century drawing, "Natuurhistorische ensemble (nr. 10)", by Elias Verhulst, showcasing a collection of natural specimens. The watercolor and ink medium lends itself to the precise detailing of each organism, inviting close inspection of their forms and textures. What is striking here is how Verhulst arranges the specimens not as a cohesive natural scene, but rather as a study in comparative form. Each element, from the butterfly to the sliced orange, is rendered with equal clarity, emphasizing its unique geometry and color. Note how Verhulst plays with scale and orientation, disrupting any sense of natural hierarchy or spatial logic. This strategy mirrors the encyclopedic impulse of the period, aiming to classify and understand the world through visual taxonomy. The composition thus becomes a field of signs, where each specimen functions as a distinct unit of knowledge. This anticipates later structuralist ideas about how meaning is created through difference and relationship, and how even a seemingly straightforward representation can challenge fixed ideas about nature and knowledge.