Explore Art Search

Exhibitions
Explore Art
Education
Research and Conservation
Publications
Games
About the J. Paul Getty Museum



Previous
Sour Orange, Terrestrial Mollusk, and Larkspur
Enlarge

Joris Hoefnagel
Austrian, Vienna, 1561 - 1562 and about 1591 - 1596
Tempera colors and gold paint on parchment
6 9/16 x 4 7/8 in.
MS. 20, FOL. 33

Add to Getty Bookmarks

On this page, Hoefnagel echoed the swirling lines of calligraphy with the curved, stocky body of a terrestrial mollusk; likewise, the rounded sections of the orange in the center resemble the twisting loops created by the calligrapher. The graceful petals and delicate lavender color of the larkspur blooms to the right, meanwhile, balance the more robust forms of the marine animal and piece of fruit. One of the illumination's most charming details is the almost mischievous look the mollusk seems to direct outward to the viewer.