Sheet of Studies with Five Butterflies, a Wasp, and Two Flies

Unknown artist

Drawings of butterflies like this sheet by Pieter Withoos of Amersfoort are devoid of any scientific pretensions. The artist may not have even known the names of the mounted specimens he was representing. He was more interested in creating a beautiful composition and alternating contrasting coloured insects, such as the blue and yellow-orange butterflies in this drawing.