Wood Toxodera, Malaysia

Slender mantis raises its forelegs as if hailing a cab.

This toxodera is contemporary. It is wood & glass. Some of the earliest insect collections appeared around the 17th century in European curiosity cabinets, displayed beside exotic plants and prehistoric fossils, which were forerunners of modern day institutions. Very thin brown insect with an elongated, narrow body and tall front limbs bent upward at the elbows. Slim legs stretch to either side. It is pinned in the middle of a tall black glass-fronted frame. It is 5.25 inches wide, 2 deep and 6.25 high.

A graceful stance, and even a little bit smug about it.