Five Butterflies, a Moth, a Beetle, and a Spider

1646

Wenceslaus Hollar

Associated Names
Wenceslaus Hollar

Artist, Bohemian, 1607 - 1677

The image shows an arrangement of six butterflies and two beetles. The largest butterfly is positioned centrally at the top, showcasing detailed striped wing patterns. The color palette is monochromatic, consisting solely of black and white shading. Flanking the central butterfly are two smaller butterflies on either side, each with unique patterns, and a smaller beetle is located near the top corners. Beneath the central butterfly, there is a moth with a distinctive dotted pattern and two additional butterflies on either side with different wing shapes and markings.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    plate: 8.1 × 12 cm (3 3/16 × 4 3/4 in.)
    sheet: 8.3 × 12.2 cm (3 1/4 × 4 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.4949

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    New Hollstein, no. 923, State i/iii

  • Series Title

    Muscarum Scarabeorum, Vermiumque Varie Figure & Formae

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Count Giuseppe Archinto [1783-1861], Milan (Lugt 52); Arkady Alferoff [1811-1872], Bonn (Lugt 1727); Rudolf Philip Goldschmidt [c.1840-1914], Berlin (Lugt 2926); (C.G. Boerner, Leipzig, May 7-9, 1928, lot 637); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], 1928; gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2025

  • Little Beasts: Art Wonder and the Natural World, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2025.

Bibliography

1982

  • Pennington, Richard. A Descriptive Catalogue of the Etched Work of Wenceslaus Hollar 1607-1677. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982, no. 2174, state i/iii.

1996

  • The New Hollstein German Engravings, Etchings and Woodcuts, 1400-1700. (Wenceslaus Hollar, Simon Turner, author). Rotterdam: Sound & Vision Interactive, 1996-, no. 923, state i/iii.

Inscriptions

in plate, at lower left: WHollar fecit ex Collectione Arundeliana; verso, lower left, in graphite, by a later hand: P.2174; verso, lower right, in graphite, by a later hand: 637

Wikidata ID

Q65026353

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