Dieren, planten en vruchten rond een slak 1592 - 1726

Curator: This image is an engraving titled "Dieren, planten en vruchten rond een slak," or "Animals, plants and fruits around a slug," and it's a fascinating piece dating somewhere between 1592 and 1726. It's attributed to Jacob Hoefnagel. Editor: A slug, eh? My first thought: a rather…mundane centerpiece. It gives the piece a curiously grounded, almost unsettling feel. The fruits look so meticulously rendered, practically bursting with flavour, while the slug sits there, unapologetically slug-like. The artist seems to have wanted us to compare and contrast the beauty with the more bizarre elements of the world. Curator: Absolutely. Hoefnagel’s engravings were, at times, about meticulously cataloging the natural world. It feels like the slug represents the earthly, creeping element amidst a cornucopia. What strikes me is the inclusion of the latin text - Ipsa dies aperit: conficit ipsa dies- which translates to: the day itself opens: the day itself completes. It suggests the ephemerality of existence - what do you make of the arrangement? Editor: Ah, that is an excellent point, it makes you feel very uneasy. And this engraving’s placement of these elements creates a peculiar microcosm: there are other little beasts here: caterpillars, spiders, flies, even. All of the elements seem to border each other carefully, yet all contribute to that fleeting beauty we take from it. The composition creates tension between detail and death! Curator: Precisely. Death is an interesting focal point when considering a naturalist. Given these things surrounding that massive, dominant, slug! These things tell a little narrative when taken together. Editor: In this image it feels inevitable, too, but a certain stillness has it lingering. These images remind us of the circle of life and death. The slug is more of a memento mori than an unattractive garden pest when you place it there at the centre of the picture. Curator: What is even more exciting to think of, in a work so focused on earthly nature, what about those beautiful blooming vines across the top - are they beautiful and alluring in that symbolic language? It definitely does a good job contrasting our focus points from that natural setting to a heavenly outlook - making use ponder not on just earthly concepts, but religious interpretations too. It’s so exciting to try and delve deeper into these possibilities! Editor: You’re right, so many possibilities. It's funny, I initially focused on the rather sluggish subject of this piece, but I'm leaving with a richer understanding of ephemerality, and its complex visual language around life, death and decay.