A Katydid, a Fly, a Bee, and a Fulgoroid

A Katydid, a Fly, a Bee, and a Fulgoroid

Anonymous, Dutch, 17th century

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This Dutch drawing, likely made in the seventeenth century, illustrates a new interest in observing and documenting insects, which were deemed unworthy of serious study in previous periods. The shadows cast by these organisms express realism, though the illusion is complicated by the insects’ varied positions: some were captured from above, while others are seen from the side. This rectangular sheet's small size and horizontal orientation, the latter of which accentuates the katydid's elongated body, are especially suitable for the drawing's subjects. The truncated upper wing of the bee in the upper register indicates, however, that this sheet has been cut down and calls into question whether its current dimensions were part of the artist’s original conception.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A Katydid, a Fly, a Bee, and a FulgoroidA Katydid, a Fly, a Bee, and a FulgoroidA Katydid, a Fly, a Bee, and a FulgoroidA Katydid, a Fly, a Bee, and a FulgoroidA Katydid, a Fly, a Bee, and a Fulgoroid

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.