A Hedgehog

Tiny and spiny, hedgehogs still roam their native territories of Europe and Asia. Their omnivorous—though lactose-intolerant—nature allows for a variety of habitats, but hedgehogs prefer nocturnal burrowing and seeking sheltered spots underneath piles of leaves. Their quills, the prominent feature of the minuscule body, are primarily filled with air spaces; the spines seem ferocious, in order to ward off potential predators. Another quilled mammal, the porcupine, is a rodent and therefore not intimately related to the hedgehog: moles and shrews are the hedgehog's closer cousins.

At the other end of the scientific spectrum from pure comparative biology exists a blend of nature and magic, all of which played a major role in late 16th-century Prague. Astronomers and astrologers, physicians and cabalists, artists, naturalists, and schemers competed for Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II's attention at his magnificent castle. The lure of alchemy—turning common base metals into gold—permeated his court: Rudolf himself performed experiments at the castle, in search of the Philosopher's Stone. The leader of the Austrian branch of the Hapsburg empire expanded the cultural milieu at the court that his predecessors—Emperors Ferdinand I and Maximilian II—began. The Kunstkammern (art chambers), rooms filled with objects, paintings, animals, and plants, became legend in Rudolf's own time for their depth and breadth of scientific and artistic collection. Among the cadre of painters brought in from all over Europe was Nuremberg-born Hans Hoffmann (circa 1530-1592). Hoffmann joined the Hapsburg court in 1585 and was present in the royal entourage at the same time as painters Giuseppe Arcimboldo (JAMA covers, September 19, 2007, December 17, 2008, March 18, 2009, and June 17, 2009) and Bartolomeus Spranger. Hoffmann was soon named imperial painter and given the title of Hofmaler. It is unclear if A Hedgehog (cover) was displayed at Rudolf's court after Hoffmann's inclusion into the group of Kunstkammer artists. In an odd foreshadowing, the name Hoffmann means “man of the court.”

Hoffmann is probably best remembered as part of the Dürer Renaissance. This 16th-century art movement consisted of artists who copied the work of Albrecht Dürer, the painter, draftsman, printmaker, and artist (also born in Nuremberg) whose works were highly prized in the Prague Kunstkammern. Hoffmann produced, as a copyist, many Dürer-like paintings and drawings; he often signed them with his own mark but was also known for placing Dürer's monogram on the copies. This would probably be considered forgery in today's art world; in Hoffmann's time replicas and copies of earlier artists' works were common. Dürer's Self-portrait as a Boy (JAMA cover, January 6, 1984) dates from 1484; Hoffmann's careful copy of the Dürer drawing was annotated in Hoffmann's handwriting and includes a replica of Dürer's own youthful inscription. It is likely that Hoffmann saw this silverpoint sketch in 1576, in Nuremberg, where it belonged to a private collector. Another Hoffmann variant was of Dürer's famous watercolor Hare; this painting (Hare Among Plants in a Forest Clearing) was purchased by Rudolf II about the time Hoffmann was invited to join the Hapsburg court.

Emperor Rudolf exhibited complex personality traits and behaviors, a legacy of intermarriage by his Hapsburg ancestors. Although he never personally went into battle, Rudolf belonged to the Order of the Golden Fleece. Rudolf preferred to negotiate tentative, uneasy peaces with countries including the ever-burgeoning Ottoman Empire, attempting to avoid the wars that seemed inevitable and later did follow. Rudolf developed melancholia and suffered at least one episode of mental breakdown; treatment with salts of coral, a concoction of Isaac Newton, did not improve his condition. Rudolf questioned conventional theology and was accused of rejecting Roman Catholicism, even though he, as Holy Roman Emperor, was the secular head of the Catholic Church in central Europe. Vatican officials suggested that Rudolf should be excommunicated. His court contained, in addition to artists and legitimate scientists, magicians, charlatans, and astrologers—not surprising since Rudolf's own early horoscope was performed by none other than Nostradamus. The list of scientific courtiers is extensive, including astronomers Johannes Kepler and Tyco Brahe.

Like Hoffmann's hedgehog in its natural habitat, humans often curl up and show their spines when they are under stress, hiding the soft underbelly of raw emotion. Instead of keratinous, air-filled quills, our defenses include anger, withdrawal, negative behaviors, and, ultimately, bit by bit, self-destruction. The sweet, naturalistic hedgehog of the painting possesses only the image of sharp spines to prick a predator. Hoffmann, perhaps unconsciously, in his understated manner, displays the realistic outline of such armor and the potential of what lies beneath the quills: a gentle creature that just wants to rest, undisturbed, in its burrow.