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Butterfly over Water
Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826–1900)
1865–75
- Medium
- Brush and oil on tan paperboard
- Classification
- Studies (visual works)
- Dimensions
- 14.7 × 29.5 cm (5 13/16 × 11 5/8 in.)
- Culture
- USA
- Museum
- Smithsonian Institution, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
- Credit line
- Gift of Louis P. Church
- Rights
- CC0 (Smithsonian Open Access), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed
View at the Smithsonian Institution
About this work
Sketch of a butterfly floating over water, likely at dusk. The butterfly has a blue and a nearly black wing, both with yellow bands, and reflects a tint of orange in the water below. At lower right, a semi-submerged tree branch with moss on it catches the red light of the setting sun. Nearby trees and vegetation are reflected in the rippling water.
