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National Museum of Women in the Arts

Plate 5 from Dissertation in Insect Generations and Metamorphosis in Surinam

A detailed engraving shows a brown snake entwined with a plant stalk bearing insect-nibbled, pinwheel-shaped green leaves and yellow bulbs at the roots, which support a pupa. A black, red, and yellow caterpillar sits on a stem, and a brown and gray moth hovers in the upper right.
Maria Sibylla Merian, Plate 5 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; Photo by Lee Stalsworth
Close up of Plate 5 from Dissertation in Insect Generations and Metamorphosis in Surinam
A detailed engraving shows a brown snake entwined with a plant stalk bearing insect-nibbled, pinwheel-shaped green leaves and yellow bulbs at the roots, which support a pupa. A black, red, and yellow caterpillar sits on a stem, and a brown and gray moth hovers in the upper right.

Artwork Details

  • Artist

    Maria Sibylla Merian

  • Title

    Plate 5 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.