A Sheet with Seven Different Insects c. 1680 - 1692

Here is a sheet with seven different insects meticulously depicted, crafted by Pieter Withoos. Insects, in their buzzing, crawling existence, have long held symbolic weight. The grasshopper, prominently positioned, reminds us of ancient Greece, where it symbolized music and poetry, yet also destruction when swarming. Look closely, and you might recall the memento mori paintings where insects serve as reminders of life's brevity and decay. Even further back, in ancient Egyptian scarabs, beetles represented rebirth and transformation. These small creatures, often overlooked, carry a potent psychological charge, triggering primal responses of fascination or revulsion. Our collective memory associates them with both the beauty of nature and the unsettling realities of mortality. This tension between attraction and aversion is a powerful force, engaging viewers on a subconscious level. Thus, these insects, frozen in watercolor, are not mere specimens. They are vessels carrying centuries of cultural baggage, resurfacing in our consciousness to remind us of the cyclical dance of life, death, and rebirth.