Mouse, Rose, and ButterflyJan Brueghel the Elder

Painted in oil on copper (1605–11), this miniature still life (8 × 11.5 cm) captures a delicate mouse, roses, caterpillar, and butterfly with scientific precision and poetic balance. Commissioned by Cardinal Federico Borromeo, the work reflects Brueghel’s fascination with nature’s fragility and quiet complexity.