Thirty-three butterflies, in four columns, belonging to the PAPILIONIDAE e.g. Atrophaneura polydorus (1,2), Graphium wallacei (3,4), G. aristeus (5,6), G. agamemnon (10,11), G. macfarlanei (17,18), G. eurypylus (25,26), G. sarpedon (27,28), and Papilio aegeus female form 'polydorina' (8,9), NYMPHALIDAE subfamily DANAINAE e.g. Danaus affinis philene (23,24), Tirumala hamata (12,13), Parantica schenkii (16), Euploea treitschkei (19-22), and E. leucostictos (29,30), and NYMPHALIDAE subfamily SATYRINAE e.g. Mycalesis duponcheli (31,32)

Details

Marian Ellis Rowan (1848-1922)
Thirty-three butterflies, in four columns, belonging to the PAPILIONIDAE e.g. Atrophaneura polydorus (1,2), Graphium wallacei (3,4), G. aristeus (5,6), G. agamemnon (10,11), G. macfarlanei (17,18), G. eurypylus (25,26), G. sarpedon (27,28), and Papilio aegeus female form 'polydorina' (8,9), NYMPHALIDAE subfamily DANAINAE e.g. Danaus affinis philene (23,24), Tirumala hamata (12,13), Parantica schenkii (16), Euploea treitschkei (19-22), and E. leucostictos (29,30), and NYMPHALIDAE subfamily SATYRINAE e.g. Mycalesis duponcheli (31,32)
signed 'Ellis Rowan'
watercolour with bodycolour on grey paper
22 1/8 x 15in. (56.2 x 38.1cm.)

Provenance

Blanche (Bli) Ryan, the artist's sister, and thence by descent to Merlin Montagu Douglas Scott; Christie's London, 16 May 1995, lot 203.

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 15% on the buyer's premium

Lot Essay

The swallowtails (Papilionidae) and milkweeds (Danainae) are amongst the first insects the traveller is likely to encounter in the Indo-Australian region, and these species are very characteristic of the New Guinea butterfly fauna.

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