Observing the Ephemeral: Renewed Collection of Butterflies

Observing the Ephemeral: The Renewed Entomology Collection of the State Silk Museum

The Entomology Collection of the State Silk Museum is one of the museum’s most significant and fragile collections, dating back to the very foundation of the institution. It brings together specimens of exceptional historical, scientific, and aesthetic value. The formation of the collection began in the 1880s and includes both nineteenth- and twentieth-century examples. The collection features butterflies of European, Caucasian, and tropical origin, reflecting the dissemination of entomological knowledge and the global connections associated with silk culture.

Covering five continents through its geographical scope and provenance, the museum’s entomological collection includes rare species of both diurnal and nocturnal butterflies. The collection offers a new field of observation and interpretation of nature, where fragile bodies and delicate visual forms evoke reflections on time, transformation, and ephemerality.

Throughout the decades, the collection has undergone numerous challenges, yet its significance becomes even more visible through these transformative phases. Among its rare holdings are specimens collected and donated by the founder of the Caucasian Sericulture Station, N. Shavrov, including European and Caucasian silkworm moths; collections gifted by the Caucasian Museum in Tbilisi; tropical specimens donated by the Silk Testing Laboratory in Lyon; tropical collections from the Zoological Museum of the Jardin d’Acclimatation in Paris; tropical specimens acquired from Ernest Heine in Leipzig; and specimens collected by station employees during scientific expeditions throughout the Caucasus and preserved in the station’s laboratories.

The collection has also been enriched in recent years by specimens donated by Valery Petrov, as well as acquisitions made in 2025 through the support of the AIMF museography project.

The exhibition presents both butterfly and moth specimens alongside the visual replicas from rare entomological albums preserved in the museum library. It also incorporates microscopic visualizations of butterfly structures, offering visitors a multimedia experience that expands scientific observation into an immersive visual encounter.

Exhibition Curator: Mariam Shergelashvili

Exhibition Interns: Vato Maghradze, Mariam Gegidze, Elene Mardaleishvili, Nino Papuashvili

Exhibition Advisors: Nino Kuprava, Valeri Petrov, Sofio Injia, Salome Pachuashvili, Marina Gonashvili

Graphic Design and Social Media: Anano Gogichadze