Edited by Alexandra Libby, Brooks Rich, and Stacey Sell

Art played a pivotal role in the development of natural history during the 16th and 17th centuries. European colonial expansion enabled naturalists to study previously unknown insects, animals, and other beestjes—“little beasts”—from around the globe. “Little Beasts” explores how artists such as Joris Hoefnagel and Jan van Kessel helped deepen and spread knowledge of these creatures with highly detailed and playful works that inspired generations of printmakers, painters, decorative artists, and naturalists.