Cat and Butterfly — Antique Natural History Print

Chinese painter Min Zhen composed this album leaf showing a cat watching a butterfly, a pairing whose spoken names, mao and die, form a pun on the word for a person in their seventies or eighties. Painting a cat and butterfly together was therefore a coded wish for the recipient's long life, a favorite conceit among Qing-dynasty scholar-painters. Min Zhen made this particular sheet as a gift for a friend, in an unconventional bird's-eye composition rendered with a touch of humor.

Materials & origin

• Material: 200 gsm gallery-grade, acid-free fine-art paper (FSC-certified).
• Print: Archival giclée, 12-colour printing, smooth matte finish for glare-free display.
• Artwork: Restored from a public-domain original; colour and detail digitally cleaned for large-format print.
• Origin: Made on demand and shipped from the print hub nearest you, cutting transit and waste.
• Framing: Sold unframed; ships rolled in a protective tube.