Maria Sibylla Merian
Today is our last masterpiece from the July monthly partnership with the Rijksmuseum. We hope you enjoyed it!
Maria Sibylla Merian was a German entomologist, naturalist, and scientific illustrator. She was one of the earliest European naturalists to document observations about insects directly. She was the first person to record the transformation of the caterpillar into a butterfly in its natural habitat.
Merian published her first edition of Metamorphosis in 1705 in Amsterdam, binding the illustrations along with text in either Latin or Dutch, depending on the buyer’s preference. The book contains 60 hand-colored plates depicting creatures like caterpillars, butterflies and spiders in deep, contrasting colors and rich hues. The book also notably contains descriptions of the circumstances in which she collected information, revealing that Merian drew on the knowledge of enslaved people and the original inhabitants of Suriname.
Maria Sibylla Merian’s interest in the study of insects began at a young age. She bred caterpillars herself, and made sketches of details such as the pupa phase and the plants on which the butterflies lived. After briefly living in a Labadist Protestant community in Friesland, she settled in Amsterdam. In 1699 she traveled with her youngest daughter Dorothea Graff to Suriname, where she studied insects. On her return to the Netherlands she worked on Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, her iconic work that would be published in 1705.
P.S. If botanical illustrations are your thing (or if you simply like flowers and fruits in art), be sure to check out our beautiful postcard sets, Flowers in Art and Food & Drinks! :)
P.P.S. Merian's story if a fascinating (and inspiring) one. Learn more about Maria Sibylla Merian—an artist who changed science forever!