Silver Washed Fritillary Butterfly, 19th C. Watercolor gouache with terrific midnight blue hand-painted

with terrific midnight blue hand-painted strips and circles against bright white body

I can't resist these old ladies legs machinist calipers when I come across them

attached by linen tape

though certainly tiny animals

I just love how primitive and sculptural an object is

Silver Washed Fritillary Butterfly, 19th C. Watercolor gouache with terrific midnight blue hand-paintedA couple more today from a group of beautifully executed 19th c. ink and watercolor butterflies, likely done by a young woman, 1870s or so I would guess, this one with the identification hand written at lower left: Silver Washed. How to argue with the beauty and magical feeling ness of a butterfly, and I love this one centered precisely on the white page, as if glimpsed mid air. 9 1 4" x 7 1 4", very good condition.