Gauntlet Gallery
What is D*Face’s piece called “Flutterdie (Black)”
Summary
Flutterdie (Black) presents a spread-winged butterfly specimen whose thorax has been swapped for a small grinning human skull, set against a clean white field with the insect's two slender black tails trailing below. It is one of D*Face's most restrained and macabre images, a memento mori built from natural-history iconography rather than his usual comic-book sources, sitting at the intersection of his D*Dog/animal motifs and his recurring obsession with mortality.
Why It Matters
The piece distills D*Face's core theme of beauty corrupted and life as fleeting into a single quiet, almost scientific image. By fusing the lepidopterist's pinned-and-framed butterfly with a skull, he turns a symbol of delicate, ephemeral beauty into an outright vanitas, nodding to the long art-historical lineage of memento mori while staying squarely in street-art's blunt visual shorthand. It also shows the artist working in a cooler, more reductive register than his crowded pop collages, which makes Flutterdie stand apart in his catalogue as a deliberately stripped-down statement on death.
Collector Perspective
With an edition of 120, this sits in the middle band of D*Face's print runs, neither a tiny boutique edition nor a mass open run, so supply is finite but examples do circulate. The skull-and-butterfly image is among his more iconic and instantly readable works, which supports steady collector interest beyond fans who only chase the D*Dog. The Black colourway is the more graphic, severe variant, generally read as the stronger of the Flutterdie palettes by collectors. Realistically this is a recognisable, mid-tier D*Face that trades on its strong standalone image rather than rarity alone.
Historical Context
Produced in 2011, during D*Face's Pop Provocation era when he was consolidating his reputation through StolenSpace gallery and a string of editioned prints. The imagery borrows directly from Victorian-style entomological display, the symmetrical mounted butterfly under glass, and subverts it with the skull, a device that connects to both classical vanitas painting and the wider street-art appetite for skull iconography in the late 2000s and early 2010s. The title's pun on flutter and die makes the mortality theme explicit.
FAQ
What does Flutterdie (Black) depict?
A spread-winged butterfly with dark, patterned wings whose body has been replaced by a small human skull, with two thin black tails hanging below, all on a plain white ground, a memento mori in the form of a mounted specimen.
How large is the edition?
The edition size is 120.
Is this print signed and numbered?
D*Face limited-edition prints are typically hand-signed and numbered by the artist; buyers should confirm signature and numbering for any specific example.
What medium is it?
The exact medium is not confirmed here; D*Face editions of this type are most often screen prints, so verify the process and any details with the seller or a certificate of authenticity.
Who is D*Face?
D*Face is British street artist Dean Stockton (b.1978, London), a pop-art provocateur known for his winged-eyed D*Dog, skulls and doomed comic-strip lovers, and co-founder of London's StolenSpace gallery.
Related Works
About the Artist
D*Face is the working name of Dean Stockton (b. 1978, London), a leading figure in British street art. He came up pasting stickers and posters across London in the early 2000s, then built a pop-fuelled visual language that defaces comic-book romance, advertising and celebrity iconography. Recurring motifs include his winged-eyed D*Dog, grinning skulls and doomed comic-strip lovers. His practice spans screenprints, hand-painted multiples, sculpture and large-scale murals worldwide, and he co-founded the StolenSpace gallery in London. His work satirises consumerism, power and our collective obsession with fame.
Collecting D*Face at Gauntlet Gallery
Where can I buy authentic D*Face prints?
Gauntlet Gallery offers an extensive, authenticated inventory of D*Face prints and contemporary editions, with new drops added regularly. Browse the current collection at gauntlet.gallery.
How does Gauntlet Gallery ensure authenticity?
Gauntlet Gallery is built on curation, authenticity and transparency — every work is vetted and its provenance, edition details and condition are disclosed up front.
Does Gauntlet Gallery add new D*Face prints?
Yes. New drops are released regularly across D*Face and other leading artists; see gauntlet.gallery for the latest inventory.