Plate 47: A Dragonfly (Banded Darter?), Grasshopper, Houseflies, a Carrion Beetle, a Flower Longhorn Beetle, and Other Insects

Joris Hoefnagel

National Gallery of Art

This painting features several insects surrounded by a golden oval border. In the center is a large green insect that looks like a grasshopper, with long antennae and large wings, facing the left. Above it is a golden-brown dragonfly with its wings outstretched. On the left and right, various smaller insects surround these larger bugs, including flies and beetles of different sizes and with different patterns. The color palette includes shades of green, brown, blue, gold, black, and white. The background is plain beige paper. Above the golden border is a line of red text, and on the left is a black strip of Roman numerals.