Images of butterflies and other insects straight out of the late 16th century. Flemish. Plates from Joris Hoefnagel’s “Animalia Rationalia et Insecta (Ignis).” Living from 1542 to 1600 he also wrote “Animalia Aqvatilia et Cochiliata.”

Plate IX.
Plate IX. Watercolor and gouache with an oval border in gold on vellum. Image © 2019 National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Fair use license. via https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.69670.html
Plate XVII.
Plate XVII. Watercolor and gouache with an oval border in gold on vellum. Image © 2019 National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Fair use license. via https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.69678.html
Plate VIII.
Plate VIII. Watercolor and gouache with an oval border in gold on vellum. Image © 2019 National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Fair use license. via https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.69749.html

Renaissance calligraphy and botany all in one place from the illuminated manuscript “Mira calligraphae monumenta”. Calligraphy done in 1561 and 1562 by Georg Bocksay, secretary to the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I. Flora and fauna added thirty years later by Joris Hoefnagel at the request of Ferdinand’s grandson Rudolph II.

"Speckled wood, talewort, garden pea, and lantern plant. "
“Speckled wood, talewort, garden pea, and lantern plant.” Collection of the Getty Museum. Part of their Open Content Program. Fair use license. via https://mymodernmet.com/mira-calligraphiae-monumenta/
“Spider, love-in-a-mist, Potter wasp, and red currant.”
“Spider, love-in-a-mist, Potter wasp, and red currant.” Collection of the Getty Museum. Part of their Open Content Program. Fair use license. via https://mymodernmet.com/mira-calligraphiae-monumenta/
"A quarter-sized Lord’s Prayer is poised below an intricately knotted text."
“A quarter-sized Lord’s Prayer is poised below an intricately knotted text.” Collection of the Getty Museum. Part of their Open Content Program. Fair use license. via https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/illluminated-manuscript-calligraphy-guide?utm_source=Atlas+Obscura+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=85ee16ea90-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_02_28_Not_L
A vessel of words, with an imaginary wasp.
A vessel of words, with an imaginary wasp. Collection of the Getty Museum. Part of their Open Content Program. Fair use license. via https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/illluminated-manuscript-calligraphy-guide?utm_source=Atlas+Obscura+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=85ee16ea90-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_02_28_Not_L
A veritable fireworks display of words, and a fat tomato.
A veritable fireworks display of words, and a fat tomato. Collection of the Getty Museum. Part of their Open Content Program. Fair use license. via https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/illluminated-manuscript-calligraphy-guide?utm_source=Atlas+Obscura+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=85ee16ea90-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_02_28_Not_L

These are a mere sampling of what is contained in this manuscript. Please check out this link if you’d like to look at more: http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/1487/joris-hoefnagel-and-georg-bocskay-mira-calligraphiae-monumenta-flemish-and-hungarian-fols-1-129-written-1561-1562-illumination-added-about-1591-1596/?dz=0.5000,0.5000,0.50