SACRED BIRD AND BUTTERFLY
The original of this magnificent Chinese export pattern may be found set in the dining room of Charleston’s famed Nathaniel Russell House. Butterflies, a popular design in China, are often found as porcelain decoration or embroidered on robes. Perhaps the popularity of the butterfly comes, in part, from the fact that the Chinese word for butterfly, tieh, is a pun which expresses the wish that the owner might live to a ripe old age. Mottahedeh, in cooperation with Historic Charleston, offers an updated version of the well known Sacred Bird and Butterfly pattern. The decoration is more dense than the original Mottahedeh pattern and is true to the antique. The name reflects the many birds and butterflies featured in the design.
Made for Mottahedeh by Vista Alegre, Portugal.
