Artist · 78 prints
Maria Sibylla Merian Prints
About Maria Sibylla Merian
Maria Sibylla Merian was a German-born naturalist and artist, born on 2 April 1647 in Frankfurt am Main, and she died in Amsterdam on 13 January 1717. Her father was the engraver and publisher Matthäus Merian the Elder.
Maria Sibylla Merian is known for illustrations of insects and plants that show each stage of an insect's life, from egg to caterpillar to adult, together with the plants it feeds on. Her caterpillar book, Der Raupen wunderbare Verwandelung, first appeared in 1679. Her best-known work, Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, records the insects and plants she studied in the Dutch colony of Suriname.
Maria Sibylla Merian prints: reproductions of the natural history engravings Maria Sibylla Merian published on insects and plants, from her 1679 caterpillar book to plates of the Metamorphosis of the Insects of Surinam. Works include Metamorphosis of the Insects of Surinam: Cacao, Papay and Banille (1719 edition), Plantain with Metamorphosis of the Bright-Line Brown-Eye (1679) and Metamorphosis of a Small Emperor Moth on a Damson Plum (1679).
Most of this selection comes from the Suriname plates: tropical fruit trees, flowers and crops such as papaya, cassava, guava, citrus, pomegranate and cotton, each shown with the caterpillars, pupae, moths and butterflies that live on them. A smaller group comes from her European caterpillar book, with oak, plum and dock. A few plates add lizards and other animals.
The bright botanical plates suit kitchens, dining rooms, garden rooms and bathrooms, and they work well hung as a set or in a grid. All prints are museum-quality reproductions, available unframed or framed with low-glare acrylic glazing, with free shipping and import duties covered.
