Plate I
The Aier volume begins by introducing the reader to a pair of ostriches. The birds live in an environment of palm trees and flora, with the black page serving as ground in a way similar to that of Hans Bol. Additionally, Adriaen Collaert mirrors the pose of the front ostrich in a later work (note 1). The posture works well for Hoefnagel, as the ostrich raises his leg to form a parallel with the shape of the smaller black bird’s body, while conveying a sense of motion and energy. A dynamic stance, it ironically reinforces the bird’s connection with the air around it, since an ostrich cannot actually fly. The viewer’s eye lingers on the detailed depiction of green moss in the foreground, before being led further back into the space via the use of atmospheric perspective. The large form of the centered ostrich becomes a fulcrum upon which the bird on the rock and the smaller, front-facing ostrich balances. Hoefnagel crafts a consciously composed scene within a natural space, creating complexity within the figural poses.
There is a numbering system that is included within every volume, although there is no accompanying explanatory text as to what the numbers mean. It is noticeable in this plate, where the numbers seem to group the various animals according to their species. Both ostriches are given the same number, while the black bird differs. Although this numbering system can prove to be inconsistent: for example, there are no numbers on the Ignis plates of this exhibition. However, this theory that the numbers serve to differentiate types of animals within each folio enables Hoefnagel to force a consideration of each figure’s species, asking the viewer to think about the animals past their visual features. He is classifying each animal, and setting an analytic tone to each of his pieces. Again, there is a debate between art and naturalistic study.
This debate is continued when it is pointed out that in many of the drawings, animals are shown from various angles. Showing the animals in multiple positions allows for scientific study of the creatures, and is especially significant when the specimens are nonnative to the European world, such as the African-native ostrich. In that case, these kinds of studies are the only way in which some people can examine such creatures. They become a scientific specimen rotated within a page for advanced inspection. Again, Hoefnagel is drawing parallels between nature and naturalistic study through classification and positioning within the folio.
Notes
note 1. Lee Hendrix, Joris Hoefnagel and the Four Elements: A Study in Sixteenth-Century Nature Painting (1984), pp. 50-52.