Details
MARIAN ELLIS ROWAN (1848-1922)
Twenty-five hawk moths (family SPHINGIDAE), in three columns
signed 'Ellis Rowan'; watercolour with bodycolour on grey paper
22 x 15in. (55.9 x 38.1cm)
These large, stout-bodied, narrow-winged, and usually very fast-flying moths form a goup of well over 1000 species world-wide. With the exception of certain species, such as the humming-bird hawks, sphingids tend to fly very late at night - in the tropics many do not seem to be active until well after midnight, when they can be attracted to lights. The high diversity of these and other night-flying moths in the Ellis Rowan paintings suggests that the collection from which she worked must have been assembled, at least partly, by using lights, and perhaps over quite a long period of time. This plate includes several oleander hawks (Daphnis), such as D. dohertyi (3,4), and D. hypothous (12,13)
Twenty-eight moths, arranged in three columns, mostly belonging to the huge family NOCTUIDAE (such as Khadira aurantia, 19,20, and Othreis, 2,3), but also including a few SPHINGIDAE (9, 15-18, 28), notably Daphnis (17,18), and a brilliant Millonia (family GEOMETRIDAE, 22,23).
signed 'Ellis Rowan'; watercolour with bodycolour on grey-green paper
22 x 15in. (55.8 x 38.1cm.)
The great majority of these species are night flying, suggesting that lights were probably used to collect them.
Seventy-one moths, in five columns, mostly belonging to the hawk moth family (SPHINGIDAE: 17-21, 31-41, 43-46), and the NOCTUIDAE. The sphingids include a transparent-winged Cephonodes (17), whilst amongst the noctuids there are the curiously patterned Apsarasa (subfamily ACRONICTINAE 3,4) and the ocellate Spirama (22,23)
all signed 'Ellis Rowan'; watercolour with bodycolour on grey paper
22¼ x 15in. (56.5 x 38.1cm.) and smaller three
one illustrated (the second sheet) (3)
Twenty-five hawk moths (family SPHINGIDAE), in three columns
signed 'Ellis Rowan'; watercolour with bodycolour on grey paper
22 x 15in. (55.9 x 38.1cm)
These large, stout-bodied, narrow-winged, and usually very fast-flying moths form a goup of well over 1000 species world-wide. With the exception of certain species, such as the humming-bird hawks, sphingids tend to fly very late at night - in the tropics many do not seem to be active until well after midnight, when they can be attracted to lights. The high diversity of these and other night-flying moths in the Ellis Rowan paintings suggests that the collection from which she worked must have been assembled, at least partly, by using lights, and perhaps over quite a long period of time. This plate includes several oleander hawks (Daphnis), such as D. dohertyi (3,4), and D. hypothous (12,13)
Twenty-eight moths, arranged in three columns, mostly belonging to the huge family NOCTUIDAE (such as Khadira aurantia, 19,20, and Othreis, 2,3), but also including a few SPHINGIDAE (9, 15-18, 28), notably Daphnis (17,18), and a brilliant Millonia (family GEOMETRIDAE, 22,23).
signed 'Ellis Rowan'; watercolour with bodycolour on grey-green paper
22 x 15in. (55.8 x 38.1cm.)
The great majority of these species are night flying, suggesting that lights were probably used to collect them.
Seventy-one moths, in five columns, mostly belonging to the hawk moth family (SPHINGIDAE: 17-21, 31-41, 43-46), and the NOCTUIDAE. The sphingids include a transparent-winged Cephonodes (17), whilst amongst the noctuids there are the curiously patterned Apsarasa (subfamily ACRONICTINAE 3,4) and the ocellate Spirama (22,23)
all signed 'Ellis Rowan'; watercolour with bodycolour on grey paper
22¼ x 15in. (56.5 x 38.1cm.) and smaller three
one illustrated (the second sheet) (3)