''Musca depicta'' ("painted fly" in Latin; plural: ''muscae depictae'') is a depiction of a

fly Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...

as a conspicuous element of various paintings. The feature was widespread in 15th- and 16th-century European paintings, and its presence has been subject to various interpretations by art historians.

Interpretations

James N. Hogue, writing in the ''Encyclopedia of Insects'', lists the following reasons behind ''musca depicta'': as a jest; to symbolize the worthiness of even minor "objects of creation"; as an exercise in artistic privilege; as an indication that the portrait is ''post mortem''; and as an imitation of works of previous painters. Many art historians argue that the fly holds religious significance, carrying connotations of sin, corruption or

mortality Mortality is the state of being mortal, or susceptible to death; the opposite of immortality. Mortality may also refer to: * Fish mortality, a parameter used in fisheries population dynamics to account for the loss of fish in a fish stock throug ...

. Another theory is that Renaissance artists strove to demonstrate their mastery in portraying nature, with

André Chastel André Chastel (15 November 1912, Paris – 18 July 1990, Neuilly-sur-Seine) was a French art historian, author of an important work on the Renaissance, Italian Renaissance. He was a professor at the Collège de France, where he held the chair of ...

writing that ''musca depicta'' became as an "emblem of the avant-garde in painting" at the time. There exist several anecdotes from the biographies of various artists who, as apprentices, allegedly painted a fly with such skill as to fool their teacher into believing it was real. Well-known examples are those about

Giotto Giotto di Bondone (; – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto ( , ) and Latinised as Giottus, was an Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the Gothic/Proto-Renaissance period. Giot ...

as an apprentice of

Cimabue Cimabue (; ; – 1302), Translated with an introduction and notes by J.C. and P Bondanella. Oxford: Oxford University Press (Oxford World’s Classics), 1991, pp. 7–14. . also known as Cenni di Pepo or Cenni di Pepi, was an Italian painter a ...

and

Andrea Mantegna Andrea Mantegna (, , ; September 13, 1506) was an Italian painter, a student of Roman archeology, and son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with perspective, e.g. by lowering the horizon in order ...

and his master

Francesco Squarcione Francesco Squarcione (''c.'' 1395 – after 1468) was an Italian artist from Padua. His pupils included Andrea Mantegna (with whom he had many legal battles), Cosimo Tura and Carlo Crivelli. There are only two works signed by him: the ''Mad ...

. Kandice Rawlings argues that since these anecdotes were widespread, they contributed to the humorous interpretation of some ''

trompe-l'œil ''Trompe-l'œil'' ( , ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. ''Trompe l'oeil'', which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into ...

'' flies. Commenting on the Czech portrait of

Francysk Skaryna Francysk Skaryna (alternative transcriptions of his name: ''Francišak Skaryna'' or ''Francisk Skaryna''; lat, Franciscus Scorina, be, Францыск (Францішак) Скарына ; pl, Franciszek Skaryna, cs, František Skorina; ...

, Ilya Lemeshkin brings attention to the fly painted on a corner of a page of Skaryna's Bible. He argues that the function of the fly is to secularize the image – in other words, to indicate that the depicted object is not a cult object to be venerated, but simply a painting. Andor Pigler surmises that the painted fly served an

apotropaic Apotropaic magic (from Greek "to ward off") or protective magic is a type of magic intended to turn away harm or evil influences, as in deflecting misfortune or averting the evil eye. Apotropaic observances may also be practiced out of supersti ...

function, that is to serve as a type of

magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

intended to turn away harm or evil influences, as in deflecting misfortune or averting the

evil eye The Evil Eye ( grc, ὀφθαλμὸς βάσκανος; grc-koi, ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός; el, (κακό) μάτι; he, עַיִן הָרָע, ; Romanian: ''Deochi''; it, malocchio; es, mal de ojo; pt, mau-olhado, olho gordo; ar ...

. Kandice Rawlings challenges this notion, writing that Pigler fails to take into account other traditions associated with flies.

''Trompe-l'œil'' fly

Both Konečný, writing about Dürer's ''

Feast of the Rosary ''Feast of the Rosary'' (German: ''Rosenkranzfest'') is a 1506 oil painting by Albrecht Dürer, now in the National Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic. According to Czechoslovakian art historian Jaroslav Pešina, it is "probably the most superb pai ...

'' (copy), and Lemeshkin, writing about Skaryna's portrait, observe the flies painted in each do not exactly "sit" the underlying painted objects, but rather sit them. Based on this observation, as well as noting the disproportionately large relative size of the flies compared with the other depicted objects, Konečný argues that this was intended as a ''

'' (illusion), that the fly sits . He also remarks that the fly in the ''

Portrait of a Carthusian ''Portrait of a Carthusian'' is a painting in oils on oak Panel painting, panel by the Early Netherlandish painter Petrus Christus in 1446. The work is part of the Jules Bache Collection housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. ...

'' (pictured above) serves to intensify the illusion of the ''trompe-l'œil'' frame. The ''Portrait of a Carthusian'', dated about 1446, is the earliest known example of

panel painting A panel painting is a painting made on a flat panel of wood, either a single piece or a number of pieces joined together. Until canvas became the more popular support medium in the 16th century, panel painting was the normal method, when not paint ...

with a ''trompe-l'œil'' fly. ''Trompe-l'œil'' flies are recognized in over twenty

Netherlandish The Low Countries comprise the coastal Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta region in Western Europe, whose definition usually includes the modern countries of Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. Both Belgium and the Netherlands derived their ...

, German, and north Italian paintings dated between 1450 and the 1510s, and are analysed by

in a book eponymously dedicated to ''musca depicta''. Of them, eight are portraits, thirteen are religious miniatures, and only two are large-size works. Chastel remarks that ''trompe-l'œil'' flies were a passing fad, with artists later having found other ways to demonstrate their skill.

In popular culture

The ''musca depicta'' is a recurring topic in the 2019 film, '' The Burnt Orange Heresy''. The main character, an art dealer, explains to a woman he meets that it signifies corruption.

Gallery

Aelst, Willem van ~ Still Life with Hunting Equipment, 1668, oil on canvas, Staatliche Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe.jpg,

Willem van Aelst Willem van Aelst (16 May 1627 – buried 22 May 1683)Aelst, Willem van

, ''Still Life with Hunting Equipment'' Balthasar van der Ast - Basket of Fruits - WGA1038.jpg,

Balthasar van der Ast Balthasar van der Ast (1593/94 – 7 March 1657) was a Dutch Golden Age painter who specialized in still lifes of flowers and fruit, as well as painting a number of remarkable shell still lifes; he is considered to be a pioneer in the genre ...

, ''Basket of Fruits'' Abraham van Calraet - Stilleven met vruchten en schelpen - 1393 (OK) - Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.jpg,

Abraham van Calraet Abraham van Calraet, or Kalraat (7–12 October 1642, Dordrecht – 11 June 1722, Amsterdam) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver. Biography He learned to paint from ''AEmilius'' and ''Samuel Hup'', or ''Huppe'', who were well known sculpt ...

, ''Stilleven met vruchten en schelpen'' Crivelli, madonna col bambino v&a.jpg,

Carlo Crivelli Carlo Crivelli (Venice, c. 1430 – Ascoli Piceno, c. 1495) was an Italian Renaissance painter of conservative Late Gothic decorative sensibility, who spent his early years in the Veneto, where he absorbed influences from the Vivarini ...

, ''Madonna and Child'' File:Duerers Rosenkranzfest Original und Kopie.jpg, comparison of

Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer (; ; hu, Ajtósi Adalbert; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer (without an umlaut) or Due ...

's versions of the ''

'' Clara Peeters Stillleben.jpg ,

Clara Peeters Clara Peeters (active 1607–1621) was a Flemish still-life painter from Antwerp who worked in both the Spanish Netherlands and Dutch Republic. Peeters is the best-known female Flemish artist of this era and one of the few women artists workin ...

, ''Still life with dainties, rosemary, wine, jewels and a burning candle''

Interpretations

''Trompe-l'œil'' fly

In popular culture

Gallery

References

Further reading