Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensum, Maria Sybilla Merian, 1705 Inv 13113

Maria Sybilla Merian (1647-1717) was a German artist who had specialised in natural history illustrations. Merian was particularly interested in insects, a predilection that was further stimulated during her stay at the Frisian chateau of the governor of Suriname, which also housed his collection of South American butterflies, Later she was to see more exotic natural items in the collections of Amsterdam collectors. All this tropical beauty led her to travel to study nature in Suriname at first hand, and in 1699 she embarked with her daughter for the colony.For over a year she made drawings and studies on the spot of Surinamese insects and their habitat, which she developed back in the Netherlands, before publishing her masterpiece Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensum in 1705. This work shows in splendid hand-coloured plates the Surinamese insects at their various stages of development, against the background of the flowers and plants that form their habitat.