A pair of bronze vases with inlaid gold decoration (damascened) of birds, butterflies and flowering plants.
Japan, date?
Manchester Museum, T.2147.
Golden Birdwing (Troides aeacus), a swallowtail butterfly native to Australasia, with the wingspan reaching 15–16 cm. See here for more information.
Anatolian Predatory Bush-cricket (Saga natoliae), known from the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean; locally endangered due to habitat loss. See here for more information.
Giant Silk Moth (Rhodinia newara) known from South and South-East Asia.
Adult antlion of the family Myrmeleontidae, which accounts for about 2,000 species worldwide. All species are renowned for the fiercely predatory nature of their larvae, which trap ants and other small insects in pits dug into the ground. See here for more information.
Platyrhacidae is a group of large tropical flat-backed millipedes, often brightly coloured.
Shining Leaf Chafer (Chrysophora chrysochlora), native to South America. Body is metallic green with golden reflection; wing cases have a pronounced granulate texture. Males are larger than females and differ in having two strong spurs on their hind legs and enlarged tarsal claws.
Imperial Volute (Cymbiola imperialis), a large sea snail with a beautiful glossy pattern and long spikes on the shoulders. The snail can reach 25 cm in length and resemble a king’s crown, this is why the name. Native to Sulu Sea, the Philippines.
Giant Red-winged Grasshopper (Tropidacris latreilli), native to Central and South Americas, the largest grasshopper species in the world, with the wingspan reaching 18 cm. In Colombia, it is an edible insect which is braised or grilled by the Yukpa people.
A steep sided cup in white porcelain, with colourful decoration of a vase, seashells, butterflies, etc. There is a swastika image painted on the inside of the base.
China, 18th century.
Manchester Museum, 0.9251/1274
Carved ivory horn, with figures of various plants and animals, including millipedes, antlion larva, cricket and scorpion. Some of the scenes appear to represent slave trading.
West Africa, Angola, Luanda; c. 1900.
Manchester Museum, 0.9752/41
Large tropical millipede (Diplopoda).
Circular writing box ‘suzuri-bako’ (inkstone box), decorated with seaweeds, shells and the Hermit Crab in the centre. In Japan, such boxes are traditionally made of lacquered wood and used to hold writing implements; often seen as important items of interior decoration in the guest room. See here for more information.
Japan, date?
Manchester Museum, T.2124
Gray's leaf insect (Phyllium bioculatum), native to West Malaysia, a perfect leaf imitator. See here and here for more information.
A four-case, lacquer ‘inrō’ (box/container), decorated with a spray of flowers and leaves, with some insects (cicada and bush-cricket), all inlaid in greens and purples. ‘Inrō’ was one of the most important and essential fashion accessories used to hold and carry on small personal items, such as ink seals and medicines. See here for more information.
Japan, date?
Manchester Museum, 0.9151/34.a
Dark Blue Tiger (Tirumala septentrionis), native to South and South-East Asia.
Oakblue Butterfly (Arhopala vihara), native to South-East Asia.
Empress Cicada (Megapomponia imperatoria), the largest cicada species in the world, with the wingspan reaching 18-21 cm; native to South-East Asia. See here for more information.
Giant Sea Spider (Colossendeis proboscidea) is a dweller of deep waters of the Arctic. See here for more information.
A life-like cicada figurine carved from a single block of nephrite (a type of jade). In China, the cicada has been seen as a symbol of good rebirth or protection against bad luck. In ancient times, it was a common practice for wealthy families to put a jade cicada in the mouth of a deceased person to ensure a good rebirth. See here for more information.
China, date?
Manchester Museum, 0.9251/1074
Two cicada species: Tosena fasciata (top, with the extended wings) and Formotosena montivaga (bottom, with closed wings), both species are common and native to South-East Asia.
A Japanese rectangular, lacquer box. Decorated in gold and colours, with insects (butterfly and bee), birds and foliage sprays on a dark red ground.
Japan, 19th century.
Manchester Museum, 0.9151/1080
Rugose Squat Lobster (Munida rugosa) is a common species of British and Irish coasts, occurring at the depth range of 30 to 300 m and preferring rock ledges and burrows in sand under boulders. See here for more information.
Santee Crayfish (Procambarus blandingii) is a threatened freshwater crustacean species known from the USA (North and South Carolinas) only. See here for more information.
Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa aestuans), a widespread bee species in South and South-East Asia. The common name ‘carpenter bee’ derives from their nesting behaviour; nearly all Xylocopa species burrow into hard plant material such as dead wood or bamboo. See here for more information.
These are replicas of gold roundels from Shaft Grave III at Mycenae, Greece. About 700 were found in that grave alone; it is sometimes called the ‘Grave of the Women’, but a further 100 were found in Shaft Grave V, placed on top of the bodies of the dead men under their gold breast-plates and masks. Some, though not apparently these two, are pierced with little holes suggesting they were sewn onto garments – or shrouds. These are the graves of the rulers and they are rich in gold, but this was a prosperous world: Mycenae –is characterised in Homer as ‘Golden Mycenae’ or ‘Mycenae rich in gold’, which may refer to the colour of the walls when they reflect the sun but must surely be an allusion to its wealth. Several of the bodies had gold masks placed over their faces, which are believed to be symbols of power rather than death masks, as they are not portraits.
The roundels were decorated with curving geometric patterns, flowers and trees, and a variety of creatures, real and mythological. These two roundels depict stylised butterflies. One explanation is that the butterfly represents the soul, which makes it suitable as a funerary symbol, but this is still prehistory and very little is known about Greek beliefs in the Mycenaean period. More likely is that the butterfly goes through several transformations until it reaches its final state, which makes is a good metaphor for the cycle of life-death-regeneration.
Date: Late Bronze Age (1550-1500 BC).
Manchester Museum, 37130
A Japanese comb in gold lacquer. A band decorated with butterflies and plants wraps around the top of the comb.
Japan, 19th century.
Manchester Museum, T.1934
A Japanese rectangular, lacquer box decorated with butterflies and chrysanthemum flowers on a gold background. The base and interior are made by the technique called ‘nashiji’, that is when gold flakes (‘nashiji-ko’) were sprinkled onto the surface of the object on which lacquer had been applied. See here for more information.
Japan, 19th century.
Manchester Museum, 0.9151/1073