One reason that artists in the 17th century painted little creatures might have been to show off their skills as artists, more than attractive subjects could. Realistic works about maggots eating dead bodies were made to induce respect for the soul and also to warn the viewer. Memento mori, remember you must die, so you were warned for a life filled only with carnal pleasures.
The bible described plagues as showers of frogs, plagues of locusts, mosquito’s and stinging flies. King Solomon advised to look well at the ant, that has no commander, no overseer or ruler and yet stores its food in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
 
Protestants were told to worship God not in relics and saints but in His works. The observation of Gods creation of nature became an inspiration for many albums and watercolours. ‘Because all creatures great and small are as letters to make us ponder the invisible things of God, his eternal power and his divinity’ as the apostle Paul says in Romans 1: 20. The lesser esteemed or small creatures were maybe neglected and ignored at times, but as part of Gods creation they could not be despised, as they were all thought to be made with great wisdom and art.
 
In order to study and paint creatures like butterflies but also salamanders and lizards, they were killed and put on pins or caught in nets. The bible instructs respect for animals as they are part of Gods creation, but very often the Holy book is interpreted as giving responsibility for the animal kingdom to human animals and thus, allowing the use of animals in the name of God, art, science or pleasure.
 
Humanity was the final and greatest of Gods creations, that ended with Adam and the creation of human animals. Adam recieved power from God to give animals their name and that settled man’s dominion of the natural worlds. In this way, anthropocentrism was created. The knowledge created through painting Gods creation of bigger and smaller animals was not only a genuine interest of artists, but also confirmed their superiority as human animals. As a result, we see what they saw. But what would animals have seen? How did they see each other?