Plate 7: Empty Oval c. 1575 - 1580

Joris Hoefnagel made this preparatory drawing, "Empty Oval," with pen and brown ink on paper, sometime in the late 16th century. At first glance, the image appears to be a simple, almost minimalist, form. But let's consider its materiality and function. The fine lines, carefully inscribed, suggest the use of a quill, demanding precision and control. Paper, by this time, was a widely available surface, and its use signals a shift towards more accessible forms of knowledge dissemination. The empty oval itself functions as a template, waiting to be filled with information, like a title page, hinting at the growing importance of organization and classification in the early modern period. The labor invested in creating this seemingly simple form reflects a broader societal shift towards valuing precision, standardization, and the controlled production of knowledge. Ultimately, this empty oval challenges our assumptions about what constitutes a finished work of art, prompting us to consider the value of process, purpose, and its social context.