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This butterfly brooch is a masterpiece of enamel art and a testament to Carlo Giuliano’s meticulous observation of nature. Exquisitely executed in painted enamel (on the front and back), it shows a detailed Bath White butterfly specimen. Nearly as weightless as the butterflies themselves, the enamel was done on an extraordinarily slim gold surface. There are fewer than ten butterflies known to have been made by Giuliano and each is unique.
'Bath White' butterfly brooch
British
about 1880
Medium/Technique
Gold, painted enamel
Dimensions
Height x length: 2.5 × 5.1 cm (1 × 2 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase with funds donated by Susan B. Kaplan
Accession Number2016.792
NOT ON VIEW
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Brooches
This butterfly brooch is a masterpiece of enamel art and a testament to Carlo Giuliano’s meticulous observation of nature. Exquisitely executed in painted enamel (on the front and back), it shows a detailed Bath White butterfly specimen. Nearly as weightless as the butterflies themselves, the enamel was done on an extraordinarily slim gold surface. There are fewer than ten butterflies known to have been made by Giuliano and each is unique.
DescriptionWhite, blue, and black brooch meticulously detailing the Bath White butterfly. Reverse of the brooch is also enameled. Nearly as weightless as the butterflies themselves, the enamel was done on an extraordinarily slim gold surface. These jewels demonstrate Giuliano’s meticulous observation of nature and the mastery of the enameller. Extraordinarily rare, there are less than ten known butterflies in Giuliano’s oeuvre and each is unique.
Marks
C.G.
ProvenanceBy about 1970s, acquired by a private collection, United Kingdom; sold by this private collection to Wartski, Ltd., London [see note]; 2016, sold by Wartski, Ltd., to the MFA. (Accession Date: December 14, 2016)
NOTE: Published by Geoffrey Munn, Castellani and Giuliano: Revivalist Jewellers of the Nineteenth Century (New York: Rizzoli, 1984), plate 154-155.
NOTE: Published by Geoffrey Munn, Castellani and Giuliano: Revivalist Jewellers of the Nineteenth Century (New York: Rizzoli, 1984), plate 154-155.