Set of Six Vintage Framed Metal Butterfly Sculptures 9½" x 8"

A set of six vintage metal butterflies from Chanteduc, Patricia Wells’ Provençal home, first chosen for the grand room she once imagined there. Patricia liked to joke about her big-room envy in a house of many small rooms. She recalls, “I bought them from an antiques shop on rue Jacob in Paris that is no longer there, probably 40 years ago. At one point, we were going to build an extension with a gigantic room overlooking Mont Ventoux. I was already decorating it before we had even built it! I was going through a butterfly stage.” The extension was never built, so the butterfly collection was displayed in the living room at Chanteduc ever since. Each butterfly is hand formed and painted metal mounted on pale wooden backboards within simple, warm-toned frames. Lively hues of saffron, chartreuse, ivory, and deep black play against time-softened surfaces. Age-appropriate patina graces the wood and paint, with small marks and discreet hanging loops intact. Modest in scale, they invite close study, yet together they read like a cabinet of curiosities. Sourced in Paris and lived with in Provence, they reflect Patricia’s intelligent simplicity and a life shaped by gardens, marchés, and shared tables. Hang the six as a tidy grid in a kitchen, jardin room, or entry, or weave them into a gallery wall above a console for color, order, and a touch of histoire.