2023

Oil on Canvas, mounteed on board

8×8″

Private Collection

Inspired by the Dossi Dossi painting “Jupiter, Mercury and Virtue” 
The story goes the goddesses of Virtue and Fortune had a bad quarrel. In her distress, Virtue sought the aid of Jupiter, chief of all the gods. But Mercury intervened, and told her to wait: the gods were busy, he said, making cucumbers blossom and painting the wings on butterflies.

There’s a beautiful detail of a painting within the painting, a blue canvas with two butterflies on it (see below). That was the inspiration for Two Polyphemus Moths.