Gordon Beningfield: Large Blue Butterfly

Artist: Gordon Beningfield
1936 - 1998
Nationality: British
Artwork Year: 1980
Image Size: 6 by 7 inches
Overall Size: 11.5 by 12.5 inches
Medium: Water Color on Cold Press Illustration Board

Brilliant coloration, elegant shape, and gracefulness combine to make the Butterfly the most memorable of all insects. Its wings bear colors blended in wonderful artistry as bright as any precious jewel, prompting the great scientist Linnaeus to compare the Butterfly's rich colors to those of the peacock. Poets have hailed this tiny creature as the image of frolicsome pleasure, and artists have strived to recreate the Butterfly's unforgettable beauty with the brush. Still, no work of art can equal the subtle shading, iridescent glow, and fine texture of the living Butterfly. One of Great Britain's loveliest Butterflies is the Large Blue Butterfly. This Butterfly's life cycle is one of the most remarkable tales in nature. After hatching from its egg, the caterpillar feeds on wild thyme flowers. When its third moult is complete, it leaves the thyme plant and wanders until it finds an ant of the genus Myrmica. As if compelled by nature, the ant strokes a gland on the larva's back, causing it to secrete a drop of sweet liquid which the ant drinks. The ant then picks up the tiny larva and carries it off to its nest where the caterpillar remains for the entire winter feeding on the ant's larvae. The caterpillar pays for its board and lodging with its sweet secretion which the ants savor. In late spring, the caterpillar pupates and soon emerges from its winter home, an exquisite Large Blue Butterfly.

This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood® First Day Cover for the Great Britain 18P Large Blue Butterfly stamp issue of May 13, 1981.

Artwork Copyright © 1980 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): Sold

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