Herman Hestenburgh spent his life in the harbor town of Hoorn, working as a baker, draftsman, and painter. He followed the professional trajectory of his teacher, Johannes Bronckhorst, also a pastry baker and artist. Both men garnered praise in their lifetimes (and beyond) for skillful depictions of flora and fauna. Horn was the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), and the port from which all their ships came and went. Arriving with these ships was a constant supply of exotic birds, animals and insects, some alive, but mostly stuffed or preserved as specimens. One of two sheets by Hestenburgh from the Moore collection, is beautifully reproduced in this set of eight notecards with envelopes. Four Moths, Including a Green-Banded Urania (Urania leilus). The artist, informed by oil painting techniques, built up delicate layers of watercolor over black chalk to delineate whisper-soft textures, subtle colors, and patterns indicative of insect wings. This set of boxed notecards was designed to accompany the exhibition Far and Away: Drawings from the Clement C. Moore Collection on view at the Morgan Library & Museum June 28, 2024 through September 22, 2024.
