Christie’s roundel
Lot 270

Marian Ellis Rowan (1848-1922)

Blue butterflies and skippers: seventy-four butterflies, in five columns, mostly members of the SYCAENIDAE (blues), but including some skippers (HESPERIIDAE e.g. 38-43), one white (PIERIDAE, Elodina hypatia, 37), and four beaks (NYMPHALIDAE subfamily LIBYTHEINAE Libythea geoffroy, 33-36; the long labial palps, sticking forward from the head between the antennae, which give rise to the vernacular name for this group, are clearly shown in specimen 33). The diverse blues include a rare species with extremely long tails (Bindahara phocides, 58, with underside at 31), a striking Psychonotis (46,47), and a chromatic Hypochrysops (54,55) A packed plate of sixty-two butterflies, in five columns, mostly representing some of the larger members of the SYCAENIDAE (blues), with the exception of four beaks (NYMPHALIDAE subfamily SIBYTHEINAE, Libythea geoffroy, 37-40), and some of the few pale blue-coloured PIERIDAE (Appias celestina, 26-29,34,35; Saletara cycinna, 30-33). The lycaenids include many species of oak blues (Arhopala, 1,2, 15-25, 36, 41-48), such as A. hercules (15,16) and A. aexone (19,20), a cornelian (Deudorix epirus, 3,4, 7,8), several jewels (Hypochrysops, 51,52,59,62), and the common tit (Hypolycaena phorbas, 5,6)

Closed15 October 2009

Price Realised

GBP 8,750

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Marian Ellis Rowan (1848-1922)
Blue butterflies and skippers: seventy-four butterflies, in five columns, mostly members of the SYCAENIDAE (blues), but including some skippers (HESPERIIDAE e.g. 38-43), one white (PIERIDAE, Elodina hypatia, 37), and four beaks (NYMPHALIDAE subfamily LIBYTHEINAE Libythea geoffroy, 33-36; the long labial palps, sticking forward from the head between the antennae, which give rise to the vernacular name for this group, are clearly shown in specimen 33). The diverse blues include a rare species with extremely long tails (Bindahara phocides, 58, with underside at 31), a striking Psychonotis (46,47), and a chromatic Hypochrysops (54,55)

A packed plate of sixty-two butterflies, in five columns, mostly representing some of the larger members of the SYCAENIDAE (blues), with the exception of four beaks (NYMPHALIDAE subfamily SIBYTHEINAE, Libythea geoffroy, 37-40), and some of the few pale blue-coloured PIERIDAE (Appias celestina, 26-29,34,35; Saletara cycinna, 30-33). The lycaenids include many species of oak blues (Arhopala, 1,2, 15-25, 36, 41-48), such as A. hercules (15,16) and A. aexone (19,20), a cornelian (Deudorix epirus, 3,4, 7,8), several jewels (Hypochrysops, 51,52,59,62), and the common tit (Hypolycaena phorbas, 5,6)
the two sheets signed 'Ellis Rowan'
watercolour with bodycolour on grey paper
22¼ x 15in. (56.5 x 38.1cm.)
22 1/8 x 15in. (56.2 x 38.1cm.) (2)

Blanche (Bli) Ryan, the artist's sister, and thence by descent to Merlin Montagu Douglas Scott; Christie's London, 16 May 1995, lot 211.