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National Museum of Women in the Arts

Plate 47 from Dissertation in Insect Generations and Metamorphosis in Surinam

A detailed engraving features a grapevine bearing a cluster of plump, green grapes. Sprouting dark green leaves and curly-cue tendrils, the vine hosts two green caterpillars and two pupa. One large moth hovers in the upper right and another at the lower left.
Maria Sibylla Merian, Plate 47 from Dissertation in Insect Generations and Metamorphosis in Surinam, 2nd edition, 1719; Hand-colored engraving on paper, 20 1/2 x 14 1/2 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay
Close up of Plate 47 from Dissertation in Insect Generations and Metamorphosis in Surinam
A detailed engraving features a grapevine bearing a cluster of plump, green grapes. Sprouting dark green leaves and curly-cue tendrils, the vine hosts two green caterpillars and two pupa. One large moth hovers in the upper right and another at the lower left.

Artwork Details

  • Artist

    Maria Sibylla Merian

  • Title

    Plate 47 from Dissertation in Insect Generations and Metamorphosis in Surinam

  • Date

    1719

  • Medium

    Hand-colored engraving on paper

  • Dimensions

    20 1/2 x 14 1/2 in.

  • Donor Credit

    Gift of Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay

  • On Display

    No

The Artist, Maria Sibylla Merian

Using her keen observational skills, Maria Sibylla Merian revolutionized both botany and zoology. From early childhood, she was interested in drawing insects and plants surrounding her.
Etching of a woman holding the stem of a flower in her left land. Her white hair is short and curled to show an earring in her right ear. Her dress, with its lace collar and voluminous sleeves, looks like it is made from expensive fabrics. Her expresssion is open and frank.