HANS HOFFMANN
CIRCA I53O-I59I/92
125 Flowers and Beetles
Tempera and black chalk on vellum prepared with a thin
layer of white gouache; H: 32.1 cm (i2^5 /8Ín.); W: 38.7
cm (i5I/ 4 in.)
87.00.9 8
MARKS AND INSCRIPTIONS: At top center, signed and
dated Hh. / .1582 in black ink.
PROVENANCE: Paulus von Praun, Nuremberg; by de-
scent; Johann Jakob Hertel, Nuremberg; Heinrich
L. Petersen, Nuremberg; by descent to Christine Peter-
sen, Nuremberg; Amalie Eyselin and Anna S. Rich ter,
Nuremberg; by descent to Leonard and Sophie Richter,
Nuremberg; Dr. Friedrich A. Nagel, Nuremberg; Igo
Levi, Nuremberg and Lucerne; Martin Horlamus, Nu-
remberg; private collection (sale, Christie's, London,
December 8, 1981 , lot 96); Helmut Riedl, Nuremberg;
art market, Boston.
EXHIBITIONS: Barock in Nürnberg, Germanisches Na-
tionalmuseum, Nuremberg, June-September 1962, no.
A 2 (catalogue by H. Rôttgen et al.).
BIBLIOGRAPHY: C. T. Murr, Description du cabinet de
Monsieur Paul de Praun à Nuremberg (Nuremberg, 1797),
p. 17, no. 133 ; A. vonEye, Katalogdermhmlichstbekannten
Sammlungen des verstorbenen Assessors des Handels-
Appelationsgerichts zu Nürnberg, Jakob Hertel (Nurem-
berg, 1864), no. 233; F. T. Schulz, Nürnbergs Bürgerhauser
unâ ihre Ausstattung (Leipzig and Vienna, 1909-33), vol.
i, pt. 2, p. 586; K. Pilz, "Hans Hoffmann: Ein Nürnber-
ger Dürer-Nachahmer aus der 2. Halite des 16. Jahrhun-
derts," Mitteilungen des Vereins Jur Geschichte der Stadt
Nürnberg 51 (1962), p. 258, nos. 18, 19; F. Koreny, Al-
brecht Durer unâ aie Tier- unâ Pflanzenstudien der Renais-
sance, exh. cat. (Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vi-
enna, 1985); Englished. (New York, 1989), p. 144, under
no. 47; K. Achilles, "Naturstudien von Hans Hoffmann
in der Kunstsammlung des Nürnberger Kaufmanns Pau-
lus II. Praun, " Jahrbuch der Kunsthistorischen Sammlungen
in Wien 82-83 (1986-87), p. 252, nn. 83-85, no. 6.PAULUS VON PRAUN, A NUREMBERG PATRICIAN AND
important patron of Hoffmann, once owned this large
vellum sheet (Murr 1797) containing studies of a peony,
Irisgraminia, Iris germánica, what is possibly an amaryllis,
a may beetle, and a june bug. Hoffmann, who is best
known for his copies and variations on Durer's work,
particularly his nature studies, here reveals a somewhat
different artistic temperament from that of his predeces-
sor. Although the individual nature studies recall those
of Durer such as the Irises (Bremen, Kunsthalle, Kup-
ferstichkabinett inv. 35), none is based directly on Durer.
In place of the penetratingly descriptive handling that is
bound in Durer's work to a profound interest in the
uniqueness of each specimen, one senses that here the
overriding desire was to portray the beauty of the spec-
imens and the ensemble. This is apparent from the overall
delicacy of the forms, their sensitive placement on the
page relative to one another, and the lush palette consist-
ing of tones of blue, green, and red. It is indeed possible
that Hoffmann originally produced this group of studies
to be hung as a painting, since it was listed as such in the
Praun collection and remained framed well into the nine-
teenth century, according to the catalogue of the Hertel
collection (Achilles 1986-87, p. 252, n. 84). As such it
supports Koreny's (1985, p. 144) assessment of Hoff-
mann as one of the earliest German practitioners of still
life painting.284 CENTRAL EUROPEAN SCHOOL • HOFFMANN