Violet Faerie
$50.00
In stock — 1 of 1 available
Dead night butterfly wing (Papilio sataspes) pinned in a mixed media shadow box (5×8) with violets and hydrangeas.
Free US shipping over $150 · Packed upright with 50 mm crush space · Ships in 2–4 business days
A salvage piece, and my favourite kind to make. This is a single wing from a Papilio sataspes — a Sulawesi swallowtail whose black is not really black at all but a deep iridescent green-violet that only shows itself when the light moves across it. The butterfly it came from was too damaged to set whole. One perfect wing survived.
Rather than hide the loss, the composition leans into it: the wing is pinned high and off-centre, with pressed violets and hydrangea florets fanning out below where the body would have been. The effect is less specimen, more relic.
A tall, narrow 5×8 box. Reads beautifully in a stairwell or a bookshelf gap.
Acid-free foam backing, hand-finished ground layer, stainless steel entomological pins, acid-free spacer and UV-filtering acrylic glazing behind a continuous dust seal. Hanging hardware fitted before sealing. Signed, dated and annotated with the species and its source on the reverse.
Salvaged wing, Sulawesi stock. This specimen lived out its full adult life and died of natural causes. No CITES Appendix I species is stocked, offered or accepted for commission here, ever.
Hang out of direct sunlight, in a room held roughly between 45–55% relative humidity and 18–22 °C. Dust the outside with a dry cloth only — never spray anything at the frame. Check the base of the box for fine powder four times a year.
Ships within 2–4 business days, packed upright, glazing face out, in acid-free tissue and bubble wrap with 50 mm of crush space on every side. Free domestic shipping over $150. Returns accepted within 14 days in original packaging.
