Anon. English Butterflies Painted from Nature

An original c.1830s painting on chinese pith English Butterflies Painted from Nature.

An exceptional sheet of exquisitely hand-painted English entomological studies, dating from around the 1830s. Rather than being copied from a book or print, unusually an inscription on the verso states that the studies (butterflies, moth and beetle) were 'painted from nature', enhancing their value as an entomological record.

The insects are painted in watercolour on Chinese pith, an organic substrate composed of plant cells sliced directly from the inner tissue of the Tetrapanax papyrifera plant, native to Southern China and Taiwan. Pith behaves unlike conventional paper as a painting support—paint absorbs into the plant cells to create a rich, velvety depth of colour, and then pools in relief on the surface, producing exquisitely vibrant raised details. The organic pith substrate affords the butterflies a high sense of realism and is particularly effective due to its soft matt surface and slightly spongy three-dimensionality.

The unique composition of pith makes it extremely vulnerable to damage by moisture and other environmental factors. A sheet of such studies surviving in this near-pristine condition is rare.

The sheet derives from an album dating from the 1830s and for this reason has been preserved in such remarkable condition.

Individual insects are painted on Chinese pith and laid down on buff-coloured paper. The artist has added shadows in watercolour to heighten the realism of the insects.