Laura Costa

Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Carrasco, Malena

Area of Concentration

Art History

Abstract

The ways in which beetles are depicted in the visual culture of Early Modern Europe can illuminate the cultural significance of insects and the way image making shaped conceptions of the natural world. Beetles have a long history of involvement in early European folklore and traditions; they were present not only in myths but also used medicinally. Beginning with the emergence of widespread insect collecting in the late sixteenth century, a shift in representation of insects from religious and allegorical symbols to collectible items is present in Dutch painting. This change also aligns with Dutch colonization and the beginning of autonomous still life painting, creating a difference in what types of beetles are portrayed. As the Dutch gained territories demand for rare insects from South America increased, and this occurrence is mirrored in painting. Ultimately the connections between art and insect collecting allow for a better understanding of the ways in which the natural world has been constructed as controllable objects. The practice of accumulating, naming, and ordering insects from lands outside of Europe worked as an extension of Dutch geography. Ultimately, the ordering and study of nature went beyond scientific purposes and played a role in controlling lands and people. Taxonomy is reflected in the visual culture of the time period, including the choices in what insects to depict and how.

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