butterflies Archives

Five Butterflies (c. 1912)

Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

Five delicate wings hover in soft washes of color—pale blues, muted yellows, faint pinks—as if caught mid-flight. Their forms blur between realism and dream, each stroke dissolving into the next. Not quite insects, not quite spirits, they drift just beyond reach.
Foreign butterflies occurring in the three continents Asia, Africa and America Pl.282 (1779-1782)

Pieter Cramer (Dutch, 1721–1776)

Vibrant wings from three continents—Asia, Africa, America—pinned to the page. Each delicate vein, each bold pattern, a fleeting glimpse of life preserved in ink. No two alike, yet bound by the same fragile beauty.
Foreign butterflies occurring in the three continents Asia, Africa and America Pl.367 (1779-1782)

Pieter Cramer (Dutch, 1721–1776)

Vibrant wings from three continents—Asia, Africa, America—frozen mid-flight. Each delicate vein, each bold pattern, a silent map of distant lands. Not just insects, but tiny ambassadors of earth’s wild corners.
De uitlandsche kapellen voorkomende in de drie waereld-deelen, Asia, Africa en America pl21 (1779-1782)

Pieter Cramer (Dutch, 1721–1776)

Delicate wings unfurl in precise lines, each vein and spot meticulously recorded. These butterflies, frozen mid-flight, reveal nature’s intricate patterns—a silent dance of form and color from distant continents. The page hums with life, though no breeze stirs.
Foreign butterflies occurring in the three continents Asia, Africa and America Pl.064 (1779-1782)

Pieter Cramer (Dutch, 1721–1776)

Delicate wings unfurl across continents—vibrant patterns from Asia, Africa, and America preserved in precise lines. Each curve and spot maps a journey far beyond the page.
Foreign butterflies occurring in the three continents Asia, Africa and America Pl.319 (1779-1782)

Pieter Cramer (Dutch, 1721–1776)

Vibrant wings from three continents—Asia’s delicate patterns, Africa’s bold hues, America’s striking contrasts—frozen mid-flight. Each engraving traces the fleeting beauty of these distant travelers, a silent dance across borders.
De uitlandsche kapellen voorkomende in de drie waereld-deelen, Asia, Africa en America pl19 (1779-1782)

Pieter Cramer (Dutch, 1721–1776)

Delicate wings unfurl in precise detail—each vein, spot, and gradient of color meticulously recorded. These butterflies and moths, frozen mid-flight, reveal nature’s intricate artistry. The engravings transform fleeting beauty into something permanent, a silent catalog of life’s fragile patterns.
De uitlandsche kapellen voorkomende in de drie waereld-deelen, Asia, Africa en America pl40 (1779-1782)

Pieter Cramer (Dutch, 1721–1776)

Delicate wings unfurl across the page—vivid patterns from Asia, Africa, and America preserved in precise engravings. Each butterfly and moth seems poised to lift off the paper, a fleeting glimpse of distant continents frozen in ink. The lines blur between science and art, nature captured mid-flight.
De uitlandsche kapellen voorkomende in de drie waereld-deelen, Asia, Africa en America pl72 (1779-1782)

Pieter Cramer (Dutch, 1721–1776)

Delicate wings unfurl across the page, their intricate patterns mapping distant continents—Asia’s lush greens, Africa’s fiery oranges, America’s deep blues. Each butterfly a tiny ambassador from far-flung lands, pinned not to boards but to history itself.