Silver Gilded Ghost Cicada French Victoriana

A beautiful ghost cicada with wings gilded in pure sterling silver leaf. Framed in a Victoriana style of dried lilac and white flowers and botanicals on black velvet. The piece is housed in a custom made shadow box, with an ornate frame coated in black enamel lacquer in the style of French antiques.

I chose lilacs and pale whites for the flowers in this piece to enhance the ethereal colouration of the ghost cicada. The black velvet gives a striking contrast to the silvered wings, making them appear as though they glow. The frame is coated in layers of black enamel, giving it a beautiful lustre not found in standard gloss paints. French antiquities from the Victorian era were often framed in this manner, and still surface today as cherished adornments for gallery walls and collections.