www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

i came across this butterfly in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge today...

any idea what it could be ?

the artist in question is always painstaking in his portrayal of insects.

A tricky one! The general appearance and disposition of the silver spots suggests Queen of Spain - which matches in other respects too - but the wing shape is quite wrong. High brown and dark green spring to mind next, though neither have elongate spots like the one near the trailing edge of the hindwing. Given the general inaccuracy in the venation of both wings I suspect there's artistic licence elsewhere in the picture too - but it would be interesting to know who the artist is, and when he painted it.

Guy

Padfield wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 4:45 pm A tricky one!
Guy

the painting is attributed to Philips de Marlier, who specialised in plant still lifes. it dates from about 1650.

in the same picture is this other beautifully depicted butterfly:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philips_de_Marlier

I have seen Queen of Spain Fritillary featured before in Dutch art from roughly the same era (along with Red Admiral, Wall Brown, Swallowtail, Small White and various moths). Perhaps it was relatively commonplace there at the time.

Matsukaze wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 9:27 pm I have seen Queen of Spain Fritillary featured before in Dutch art from roughly the same era (along with Red Admiral, Wall Brown, Swallowtail, Small White and various moths). Perhaps it was relatively commonplace there at the time.

thanks for that Matsukaze. there was a Red Admiral in the picture as well as the previous two butterflies... my photo of it was not the best

No mistaking the second butterfly as a painted lady. I agree with QoS frit for the first one, the early artists seemed to enjoy giving the butterflies a rounder look, perhaps to make them look more feminine?

bugboy wrote: ↑Fri Sep 04, 2020 6:17 am No mistaking the second butterfly as a painted lady. I agree with QoS frit for the first one, the early artists seemed to enjoy giving the butterflies a rounder look, perhaps to make them look more feminine?

thanks for your help on this artistic puzzle bugboy