The Capture of a Swarm of Bees in a Farmyard

Jan van der StraetWW-1578-119006

1578·Pen and brown ink and blue watercolor, with opaque white watercolor, over black chalk, on cream laid paper, incised with a stylus for transfer, laid down on cream laid paper·Primary support: 19.6 × 28 cm (7 3/4 × 11 1/16 in.); Secondary support: 21 × 29.1 cm (8 5/16 × 11 1/2 in.)

<p>Primarily active in the court of Florence and patronized by the Medici, Johannes Stradanus designed tapestries depicting hunting, agriculture, and animal husbandry. Stradanus’s familiarity with these subjects is underscored in <em>The Capture of a Swarm of Bees</em>, in which he used remarkable precision to describe the removal of a beehive in the central foreground. His mastery of detail is especially evident in the protective headgear and clothing of the figures. A print based on this sheet forms part of a series of over 100 subjects illustrating various types of hunting and farm work.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1578
Medium: Pen and brown ink and blue watercolor, with opaque white watercolor, over black chalk, on cream laid paper, incised with a stylus for transfer, laid down on cream laid paper
Dimensions: Primary support: 19.6 × 28 cm (7 3/4 × 11 1/16 in.); Secondary support: 21 × 29.1 cm (8 5/16 × 11 1/2 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Jan van der Straet

Artist

Jan van der Straet

Drawing

Follower of Joannes Stradanus, called Giovanni Stradano

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