Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2017.10.8 |
Object Name |
|
Description |
Engraver's name in plate as Sluyter. Plate 36 From Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium Numbered in the plate, lower right: 36 Though the odds were stacked against her as a woman, naturalist and illustrator, Maria Sibylla Merian, is among the most important contributors to the field of natural history. In 1699 she traveled to South America with her daughter to study insects in Suriname, resulting in the publication of her magnum opus, Metamorphosis Insectorum. Like other natural histories of the 1700s, Metamorphosis emphasized beautiful illustration. But while the beautifully executed images nod to fine art, the book was a serious scientific text, and included the first studies of the life cycle of butterflies. In Merian’s text entry for this plate, she chronicles finding the tobacco plant that she observed growing in the forest of Suriname. The plant wilted due to the heat, so Merian had the plant dug up and planted in her garden. There it bloomed and she was able to observe a caterpillar that later transformed into a butterfly. |
Title |
Tobacco Plant with Butterfly, Plate 36 |
Date |
1705 |
Role of Creator |
Artist |
Creator |
Merian, Maria Sibylla |
Role of Creator 2 |
Artist |
Creator 2 |
Sluiter, Pieter |
Medium |
hand color engraving |
Material |
paper |
Dimensions |
H-19.75 W-13.75 inches |
Credit line |
Museum purchase made possible by Michael and Kathy Mouron |
Place of Origin |
Europe/Netherlands/North Holland/Amsterdam |
Subjects |
Botanical illustrations Butterflies Caterpillars Gender Gender roles Natural History Plants Tobacco Travel |