Name Jan Goedart | ||
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Died 1668, Middelburg, Netherlands | ||
Jan Goedart (also spelled Jan Goedhart or Jean Goedart, in Dutch most commonly Johannes Goedaert; 19 March 1617 (baptized) – 15 January 1668 (buried)) was a Dutch naturalist, entomologist and painter, famous for his illustrations of insects. He was one of the earliest authors on entomology and first to write on the insects of the Netherlands, based on firsthand observations and experiments between 1635 and 1658.
Goedart was born in Middelburg. He published, in his birthplace, a book entitled Metamorphosis and historia naturalis between 1662 and 1667. For the first time, insects were represented using the technique of engraving after his drawings. Metamorphosis was translated into French in 1700 under the title of Histoire des Insectes, in English History of Insects. It shows meticulous observation of all the growth phases of the insects depicted, including metamorphosis. There is no internal anatomy, only external. Goedhart makes an interesting error, indicating moth caterpillars can produce flies. Presumably he meant Ichneumonidae.