Ivorian Goliath Regius/Cassicus

Two big beetles in black and white stripes, one showing off its wings.

This goliath regius/cassicus is contemporary. It is ivory coast, west africa. Bug collecting is said to have caught on as a hobby only in the 19th and 20th centuries, when insects began to be appreciated strictly for their beauty. Two white beetles with bold black stripes on the thorax, one above with wings fully spread in smoky brown, the other below with wings closed and an orange-gold patch. Both are mounted in a slim black frame. It is 8.5 inches wide, 2.5 deep and 10.4 high.

A formal portrait, with one of them insisting on flapping.