{"product_id":"little-beasts-art-wonder-and-the-natural-world","title":"Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA richly illustrated look at the intersection of art and science in Renaissance Europe\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eArt played a pivotal role in the development of natural history during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. European colonial expansion enabled naturalists to study previously unknown insects, animals, and other \u003ci\u003ebeestjes\u003c\/i\u003e--\"little beasts\"--from around the globe. \u003ci\u003eLittle Beasts\u003c\/i\u003e explores how artists such as Joris Hoefnagel and Jan van Kessel helped deepen and spread knowledge of these creatures with highly detailed and playful works that inspired generations of printmakers, painters, decorative artists, and naturalists. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis appealing book begins by mapping the origins of natural history as a discipline, showing how early illustrated treatises reflected a vibrant exchange between artists and naturalists that contributed to the growth of natural science and sparked public fascination with the animal kingdom. It shares insights into Hoefnagel's engagement with contemporary natural history, as demonstrated in his \u003ci\u003eFour Elements\u003c\/i\u003e--a four-volume series of some three hundred watercolor miniatures of animals--and examines how intaglio printmaking enabled natural history studies to reach new audiences. The volume concludes with a discussion of Van Kessel's small oil paintings, likely made for discerning collectors of both natural and artistic curiosities. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBlending lively and informative essays with beautiful illustrations, \u003ci\u003eLittle Beasts\u003c\/i\u003e traces the connections between artists, naturalists, and collectors in an age of scientific discovery and broadening horizons, inviting readers to look with wonder at nature's variety. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePublished in association with the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eExhibition Schedule\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNational Gallery of Art, Washington, DC\u003cbr\u003eMay 18-November 2, 2025","brand":"Brian W Ogilvie, Alexandra Libby, Brooks Rich, Stacey Sell","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46724511039724,"sku":"9780691271309","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/1791\/3068\/files\/9780691271309.jpg?v=1754743150","url":"https:\/\/intl.allstora.com\/products\/little-beasts-art-wonder-and-the-natural-world","provider":"Allstora","version":"1.0","type":"link"}