A Branch of Gooseberries with a Dragonfly, an Orange-Tip Butterfly, and a Caterpillar

mid-18th century

Barbara Dietzsch

Associated Names
Barbara Dietzsch

Artist, German, 1706 - 1783

This painting shows a thorny branch with round berries and small green leaves. The berries range from pale green to yellow to rich reddish-brown, with thin pale veins running through them. A butterfly, a caterpillar, and a dragonfly are also present, resting on the leaves. The butterfly's wings are pale orange and the dragonfly is blue, while the caterpillar is covered in thin white fibers. The background is solid black.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gouache over graphite on prepared paper

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    overall: 28.7 x 20.4 cm (11 5/16 x 8 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2008.53.2

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(sale, Sotheby's London, 23 January 2008, no. 223); (via David Tunick, Inc., New York); purchased 2008 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2010

  • German Master Drawings from the National Gallery of Art, 1580-1900, NGA, 2010-2011.

2022

  • Dare to Know: Prints and Drawings in the Age of Enlightenment, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA, 2022-2023, p. 167, fig. 6, repro.

Bibliography

2022

  • Kopp, Édouard, Rudy, Elizabeth, and Smentek, Kristel, editors.Dare to Know: Prints and Drawings in the Age of Enlightenment. Exh. cat. Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 2022-2023: 166-167, fig. 6.

Wikidata ID

Q64537124

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