Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Butterfly Tray


Moving is a pain the neck, but sometimes there are little rewards along the way which make it all worth while. Here's a butterfly tray which Gary's mother, Ellen, loved. We've kept the tray through the years. The tray dates from the 1920s and may have been made in Brazil where vibrant winged butterflies are numerous. I can't imagine having the patience to make such a tray, painstakingly laying down each butterfly wing in this intricate pattern. The wings are then covered with glass to protect them and a wooden tray with parquetry is added as a surround. Stay tuned for more hidden treasures we have yet to discover.

12 comments:

  1. very cool tray... i've seen all sorts of this butterfly thing on antiques road show... it's probably worth some money.

    ReplyDelete
  2. thanks, Jim, I keep hoping I'll find something worth a whole lot of money and I can be one of those people that takes it to Christies or Southerby's and it brings in a whole bundle.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That is outstanding! What an incredible piece.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That is beautiful. It's sure in great condition.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I agree with you 100% - moving is a pain in the a** even if it's voluntary and will be good in the long run. We still have a lot of stuff that we should have gotten rid of before we moved.

    ReplyDelete
  6. PS - the tray is lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Patricia, I think folks made these back when they didn't realize some butterflies might be endangered or something, still paintstaking though.

    Hi Cindy, yes amazingly good condition considering how much we've moved.

    Hi Cynthia, funny you and I are going through some of the same things together, packing, next I'll be unpacking. I am having a hard time parting with some stuff too as you can see. Thanks.

    Hi Meredith, thanks, the keeper pile is getting bigger. Ha!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I would be keeping that tray as well. Good luck moving. . . WHEW no fun at all. At least you have begun to sell things,etc.

    ReplyDelete
  9. where are you moving to? I may have missed that post. I too, move to a new place on Saturday. Moving is overrated and there must be a celebration afterwards, I believe. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Mary, thanks, yes we are trying to minimize. I'm kind of looking forward to a new adventure.

    Hi Amy, you are moving again, no fun. We have no idea where we are moving. We will head about the end of October with our motorhome for a leisurely trip. I am sure we will make it to your neck of the woods though, so I will try and contact folks when we get close. We will celebrate along the way taking it easy.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow, that is a beautiful butterfly wing tray! As a family heirloom it has obviously been well looked after since the colours are still bright and the wooden tray itself is in good condition too. I found a butterfly tray at Good Will the other day and before that find I had never seen one before! Unfortunately mine isn't in the best condition compared to yours but I still like it :)

    My butterfly tray is featured on my blog: http://trinketeer.blogspot.ca/2014/06/sistertime-movies-and-thrift-shopping.html

    ReplyDelete

I love suggestions, questions, critiques, thanks for your comment