Malagasy Wood Hypolimnas Dexithea

Butterfly with black and white wings turns bold red and white underneath.

This hypolimnas dexithea is from Madagascar, East Africa, and is contemporary. It is wood & glass. 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. Butterfly with black upper wings crossed by bright white bands, and lower wings that blaze white and orange-red, ending in a scalloped fringe of dark blue-black teeth. It is mounted in a black frame. It is 6 inches wide, 2 deep and 6.25 high.

Dressed like a tuxedo, with a red lining to prove a point.