Left: Emmet Gowin (American, b. 1941), Mariposas Nocturnas Index #44, Bolivia, 2011. Archival digital inkjet print. Collection of Emmet and Edith Gowin
Right: Simon Bening (Flemish, 1483/4-1561), Annunciation, Da Costa Hours, Ghent, Belgium, ca. 1515. Painting on vellum. Purchased by Pierpont Morgan, 1910, MS M.399, fol. 129v
Gowin has photographed and catalogued hundreds of tropical moths since he began traveling to Central and South America in the late 1990s.
The plants and animals in the border of this manuscript illumination meaningfully complement the scene. The lilies stand for purity and chastity, pink carnations for maternal love, while the butterflies—metamorphosed caterpillars—are symbols of Christ’s resurrection.