Plate 24: Flying Swallow Gurnard, Male Lumpsucker, Longspine Snipefish, and Other Fish c. 1575 - 1580

Joris Hoefnagel painted this watercolor and gouache on vellum depicting various fish around the turn of the 17th century. Observe the Flying Swallow Gurnard with its magnificent, wing-like pectoral fins. These fins immediately evoke the concept of flight, a motif deeply rooted in human aspirations and spiritual symbolism. Throughout history, wings have symbolized transcendence, freedom, and the ability to bridge the earthly and divine realms. From the winged deities of ancient mythologies to the Renaissance angels, this motif persists. Consider Icarus, whose wax wings melted as he flew too close to the sun, reminding us of the perils of overreaching ambition. Yet, the allure of flight endures, manifesting in the winged Victory of Samothrace, a Hellenistic sculpture that embodies triumph and divine favor. Hoefnagel’s fish, adorned with these vestigial wings, taps into our collective subconscious, stirring primal desires for liberation and escape, the very essence of human striving.