Rijksmuseum

Beetle

Date

1690 - 1700

Medium

deck paint, parchment (animal material), gouache (paint)

Institution

Rijksmuseum

The tiny creatures of Jan Augustin van der Goes are so realistically drawn, it is as though they could creep off the paper at any moment. By using expensive vellum rather than plain paper, the artist transformed these little drawings into independent works of art. These kinds of miniatures were collected and kept in albums, just like mounted insects in specimen cabinets.

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