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This painting shows a thorny branch with round berries and small green leaves. The berries range from pale green to yellow to rich reddish-brown, with thin pale veins running through them. A butterfly, a caterpillar, and a dragonfly are also present, resting on the leaves. The butterfly's wings are pale orange and the dragonfly is blue, while the caterpillar is covered in thin white fibers. The background is solid black.
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This painting shows a thorny branch with round berries and small green leaves. The berries range from pale green to yellow to rich reddish-brown, with thin pale veins running through them. A butterfly, a caterpillar, and a dragonfly are also present, resting on the leaves. The butterfly's wings are pale orange and the dragonfly is blue, while the caterpillar is covered in thin white fibers. The background is solid black.

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

A Branch of Gooseberries with a Dragonfly, an Orange-Tip Butterfly, and a Caterpillar

Barbara Dietzsch

Date
mid-18th century
Medium
gouache over graphite on prepared paper
Dimensions
overall: 28.7 x 20.4 cm (11 5/16 x 8 1/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
2008.53.2
Credit line
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Time span
1701 to 1725
Department
CG-E
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • German
  • plant
  • Fruit
  • Leaf
Provenance

(sale, Sotheby's London, 23 January 2008, no. 223); (via David Tunick, Inc., New York); purchased 2008 by NGA.

NGA object ID 140129. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.