Provenance: From a London bookshop, acquired at least 50 years ago.

This striking watercolour depicts an atlas moth, or giant Chinese silk moth. The painting is a near life-size depiction of the insect, which has a wingspan of 24 cm, the third largest of any lepidopteran.[1] This is the female of the species, with the male having broad, feathery antennae. The white fleshy spines on the abdomen show that this moth is in a later stage of its lifespan. The triangular windows in each of the four wings, through which the plant behind can be seen, are thought to reflect light to scare predators. It also uses its elongated wing tips as a defence mechanism, shaking them to imitate a snake’s head.[2] The texture of the wings is particularly well observed. Minute brush strokes create the soft, velvety texture of the moth’s scales.

Not only does this colourful study make a highly attractive piece of art, but it also represents a valuable industry. The cocoons of the Atlas moth larvae are used in Asia to make silk, known as etles or fagara. This practice is particularly common amongst the Uyghur people of Xinjian. The silk is traditionally coloured with natural dyes, like walnut bark and saffron. Unlike traditional silk produced by the silkworm Bombyx mori, etles is fibrous and coarse, creating warm, wool-like textiles.[3]

[1] Kons, Hugo (Jr.). 'Largest Lepidopteran Wing Span', The Unviersity of Florida Book of Insect Records. Department of Entomology and Nematology: 1998. Retrieved online from https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/walker/ufbir/chapters/chapter_32.shtmlon 02/11/2024.

[2] Sargent, Channing. ‘How the Atlas Moth Imitates Snakes to Ward Off Threats’, One Earth (2022). Retrieved online via https://www.oneearth.org/species-of-the-week-atlas-moth/ on 06/12/2024.

[3] Reddy, Narendra, Yi Zhao, and Yigi Yang. ‘Structure and Properties of Cocoons and Silk Fibers Produced by the Attacus Atlas’, Journal of Polymers and the Environment 21 (2013), pp. 16-23.