The Papageno is a brooch handmade in Paris (France), showcasing the Urania Ripheus butterfly mounted on an Japanese Mokuba ribbon.
Each of the butterfly's imperfection is underlined in this collection by our gold leaf brush, which has been guided by the veins, reliefs and scratches.
This collection Les Ephémères is inspired by the art of Kintsugi (金継ぎ, "golden joinery"), which is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, notably. This method is a poetic metaphor for embracing flaws and imperfections.
Approximate dimensions
Height: 9 cm
Width: 9 cm
Urania Ripheus in a few words
Discovered in 1773 by the English entomologist Dru Drury, Urania ripheus is considered one of the most beautiful butterflies in the world.
It is one of the rare species whose colour does not come from pigments but from the diffraction of sunlight created by the scales that cover its wings.
The caterpillar of Urania Ripheus feeds on the foliage of Omphalea, whose toxicity it retains, although this plant can even become too toxic for its invader (as a defense mechanism), causing it to migrate. White and yellow with black spots, the caterpillar spins silk to cling to the smooth leaves of the Omphalea and to be able to climb up easily when it slips. This silk has a euphoric effect on those who eat it!
Where does Urania Ripheus live?
Urania Ripheus is endemic to Madagascar.
As our pieces use real butterflies, the dimensions mentioned can only be indicative, although we select butterflies as close as possible to these dimensions.