Wood Phyllium Giganteum, Malaysia

Pale green leaf with legs lies flat and hopes no one notices.

This phyllium giganteum 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. Broad, leaf-shaped insect in soft mint green, its flattened body and wing-like flaps showing fine veining and ragged edges. Small leaf-like flanges decorate each leg. It is pinned in a tall black frame. It is 5.25 inches wide, 2 deep and 7 high.

Commits fully to being foliage, down to the torn edges.