
Maria Sibylla Merian

Maria Sibilla Merian ©
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) was one of the greatest artist-naturalists of her time. From childhood she had been fascinated by the life cycles of butterflies, and she made a close study of their transformations. She became a flower-painter and teacher in Nuremberg, Frankfurt and Amsterdam. Inspired by exotic specimens imported from the Dutch colonies for the natural history collections of Holland, in 1699, at the age of fifty-two, Merian made an expedition to Surinam (Dutch Guiana) in South America. Her aim was to study the indigenous flora and fauna in their tropical habitat. On her return to Amsterdam two years later, she began work on a lavishly illustrated book, the Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium (‘The Metamorphoses of the Insects of Surinam’, published in 1705), depicting the life cycles of the region’s insects.
Most of Merian’s watercolours displayed here are de luxe versions (painted on vellum) of the plates of the Metamorphosis, together with some works produced independently of that publication.
The 95 watercolours by Merian in the Royal Collection were bought in 1755 by George III, when Prince of Wales.
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
Pineapple with Cockroaches
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
Cassava root with Garden Tree Boa, Sphinx Moth and Treehopper
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
Swamp Immortelle with Giant Silk Moth
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
Branch of Banana with Bullseye Moth
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
Branch of Guava tree with Army Ants, Pink-Toe Tarantulas, Huntsman Spiders, and Ruby-Topaz Hummingbird
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
Branch of Water Lemon with Snout Moth, Brush-Footed Butterfly larva and Flag-Footed Bug
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
Grape Vine with Gaudy Sphinx Moth
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
Sweet Potato plant and Parakeet Flower with a Leaf-Footed Bug, Melonworm Moth and Pickleworm Moth
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
Branch of Pomegranate with Lanternfly and Cicada
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
Water Hyacinth with Marbled or Veined Tree-Frogs and Giant Water-Bugs
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
Shoreline Purslane and Suriname Toad
Workshop of Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
White-Throated Toucan
Workshop of Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
False Coral Snake, Banded Cat-Eyed Snake and frogs
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
Marsh Marigold with the life stages of a frog
Workshop of Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
Ornate Lory on a branch of Peach
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
Common or Spectacled Caiman with South American False Coral Snake
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
Golden Tegu lizard
Workshop of Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
Still life with flowers tied at the stems
Johanna Herolt (1668–1723)
Still life with fruit and Blue-Backed Manakin
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)