Joris and Jacob Hoefnagel: art and science around 1600

Abstract

Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1600) internationalized Flemish, miniature painting in the sixteenth century unlike any other artist. He enriched the natural sciences as well, particularly entomology, with exquisite depictions owing to his keen gift of observation. Upon viewing his breathtaking works, it is all the more surprising that he Hoefnagel developed his own talent as a self-taught artist. The painter belongs to a circle of highly educated artists and humanists who were active in the late sixteenth century at the most important European courts. It is within this environment that he created his illuminations in comprehensive codices of religious and worldly content. After training as a painter in Antwerp, his son Jacob Hoefnagel (1575-1632/33) followed in his father's footsteps, dazzling the art chamber at the imperial court in Prague with his works. He, however, concentrated primarily on mythological and allegorical scenes. With an analytical gaze and scholarship-based texts, this richly illustrated volume introduces readers to the visual worlds of the miniaturists that, just as they did then, continue to arouse mesmerized admiration in the eyes of the beholder.