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Geometrid moths

Unknown

1800

paint

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Romanticism Early 19th Century

Dominant colour

Geometrid moths is a 1800 paint by Unknown, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1800 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This painting shows two dark brown geometrid moths on a white background. Their wings have subtle patterns you might miss at first glance. Artists often painted insects like this for scientists. Travelers brought back strange plants and bugs from far-off places. People loved to see these exotic creatures up close. Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum for more like it.

The story of this work

Overview

The painting depicts two dark brown geometrid moths alongside their life cycle stages, including eggs, caterpillars, and fully developed moths. Created in 1800, the rectangular artwork reflects the 18th- and 19th-century British fascination with exotic flora and fauna, which spread from botanists to the general public. Travellers often returned with foreign insect specimens or paintings of them, contributing to this trend. Acquired from E. Parsons, the work was accessioned in 1889 as documented in the Asia Department registers following a 2022 provenance research project.

Read the full account in the museum source.