Plate 62: A Slug with Snails c. 1575 - 1580

Joris Hoefnagel created this image of a slug with snails as a watercolour on paper. Immediately, your eye might be drawn to the cluster of snails and the slug enclosed within a delicate oval frame. The composition is spare, almost scientific in its precision. Hoefnagel arranges his subjects with a deliberate attention to form and texture. Note the contrast between the smooth, glistening bodies of the snails and the rough, earthy texture of the slug. The artist meticulously renders the spiral patterns on the snail shells, each curve and shadow carefully delineated. This attention to detail is more than mere observation. The seemingly simple arrangement speaks to a broader cultural fascination with natural history and the scientific study of the world. The oval frame itself acts as a structuring device, a way of containing and ordering nature for human understanding. This artwork invites us to see these creatures not just as specimens, but as complex, beautiful forms worthy of study and admiration.