The Don Giovanni is a brooch handmade in Paris (France), showcasing the Morpho Aega 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: 7 cm
Width: 8 cm
Morpho Aega in a few words
At first glance, Morpho Aega can be surprising due to the metallic colours of its wings. The more discreet underside has ocelli, imitating birds' eyes to scare off predators. Flying over rivers that give it the space to twirl freely, it can live for up to two months, feeding mainly on fruit nectar.
Its wings are covered with very finely striated scales that diffract sunlight, cancelling out some colours and enhancing others. This is the only thing that gives them their bright blue colour; there is no pigment!
This special structure also gives the wings hydrophobic properties, an indispensable element to protect them from the heavy rains of the South American jungles where they live. Indeed, the grooves minimize the contact of water on the wings, which makes it slip.
Where does Morpho Aega live?
Morpho Aega is endemic to Paraguay, Brazil and Guyana.