Louisa Hare, Purple Owl-Butterfly (Caligo beltrao) Study, Watercolour

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An original c.1832 watercolour painting – Louisa Hare, Purple Owl-Butterfly (Caligo beltrao) Study.An outstanding large butterfly painting, dating from around … Read more An original c.1832 watercolour painting – Louisa Hare, Purple Owl-Butterfly (Caligo beltrao) Study.An outstanding large butterfly painting, dating from around the 1830s, showing the contrasting upper and underside wings of the Purple Owl-Butterfly (Caligo beltrao). The sheet is in wonderfully clean and bright condition, due to having been well preserved in a Victorian album.The artist is believed to be Louisa Hare (1776–1853), who resided at Whittern, a large estate at Lyonshall in Herefordshire. Louisa Hare was sister of Catherine Johnstone née Brome (1775–1833), who commissioned the pictures in our collection Sublime Landscapes: Peak District & North Wales 1832.Interestingly, in 1839, the young naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace OM FRS (1823–1913) lived for a time at Kington, less than three miles from Lyonshall. It was at Kington, inspired by the natural landscape and flora around him, that Wallace began to develop an interest in natural history subjects—especially geology, astronomy, and botany—and he became associated with the newly formed Kington Mechanics' Institution.with gum arabic to intensify the colour. Dimensions: Height: 31.3cm (12.32") Width: 26.1cm (10.28")Presented: Unframed.Medium: WatercolourAge: Early 19th-centurySigned: No.Inscribed: No.Dated: --Condition: In good condition for its age. The picture may have minor imperfections such as slight marks, toning, foxing, creasing or pinholes, commensurate with age. Please see photos for detail.There are historical adhesive marks and/or paper remnants to the verso, from previous mounting. See less