Plate 23: A Fat-Tailed Sheep, a Sheep with a Long Tail, a "Cassia purgatrix,"and Other Plants

Joris Hoefnagel

National Gallery of Art

This is a drawing of two sheep and some plants. The drawing depicts a scene with two sheep set against a pastoral landscape. The central sheep is resting its forelegs against a mound, adorned with a plant that appears to have thin vertical stems and small blooms. Another smaller sheep is depicted grazing in the background to the left. The composition is framed by two branches with leaves on either side of the image, each holding different types of fruit or pods. At the top of the drawing, there is text in Latin: "Oves Lupo Commitisae."