Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
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The daughter of the important Swiss engraver Matthaeus Merian, Maria Sibylla Merian grew up in the famous publishing house of Theodor de Bry, one of whose daughters had been Merian's first wife. Sibylla was thus involved in and influenced by the classic lifestyle devoted to the arts and, having extanded artistic talents of her own and an insatiable curiosity about the life of insects became the most important entomologist and a very distinguished painter of insects of her time, although the flowers are the main point of decorative attraction for us. She portrays the insects upon the plants where they lived. The beauty and delicacy of these botanical plates represent some of the finest artistic copper etchings. One must admire Maria Sibylla Merian as a woman of her time. She and her younger daughter left Europe to travel to the Dutch colony of Surinam (Guiana), at that time in history an extremely difficult enterprise. They arrived in Surinam in 1701. There she collected material for her greatest book "Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium" which was published in 1705 in Amsterdam. She made several hundred drawings on vellum which she and her daughter later engraved. It is a work rich with tropical flowers and fruit, insects of all kinds, especially exotic butterflies, moths and caterpillars. |
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Insects with Half-Fruit Copper etching by Maria Sibylla
Merian in original coloring. Amsterdam, 1705. From Image within platemarks 36.8 x 26.7 cm (14.9 x 10.5") $ 1750.00 Order Nr. MSMERIAN6515 |
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Copper etching by P. Sluyter from the "Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium" by Maria Sibylla Merian. Modern hand coloring. Published in Amsterdam, 1705. Typical of Maria Sibylla Merian's work is the combination of plants and insects in their various stages of development. The fruit is shown from blossom to ripened fruit. Here on the melon is the egg and larva, in the vine the fully developed insect (moth). Very clean. Wide margins, Excellent original hand coloring. Very good condition. Image size within platemarks 35.5 x 27.1 cm (14 x 10.7") $ 1950.00 Order Nr. MSMERIAN6531 |
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"Melon d'Eau" Copper etching by P. Sluyter from the "Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium" by Maria Sibylla Merian. Modern hand coloring. Published in Amsterdam, 1705. Typical of Maria Sibylla Merian's work is the combination of plants and insects in their various stages of development. The fruit is shown from blossom to ripened fruit. Here on the melon is the egg and larva, in the vine the fully developed insect (moth). Print has some fraying on
edges. Brown spot on lower left side. Image within platemarks 38 x 28 cm (15 x 11") $ 1750.00 Order Nr. MSMERIAN 6526 |
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Copper etching by Pieter Sluyter for Maria Sibylla Merian in original coloring. Amsterdam, 1705. From "Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium". Image within platemarks 32.8 x 24.5 cm (12.8 x 9.6") Very wide margins. Overall
light toning and $ 1500.00 Order Nr. MSMERIAN6511 |
The following engravings are from her "European insects" published pothumously in Amsterdam in 1730.
Fine recent coloring. Condition is Very Good.
Plate size: 14.6 x 11 cm ( 5.7 x 4.3 ")
Page size: ca 24 x 32 cm ( 9.4 x 12.6 ")$ 500.00
Order Nr. Merian 6521
One of three "bouquets" held together by a ribbon.
This copper etching has fine modern hand coloring. Narrow margins, except top margin. A brown line all around outside image from the matting of a former framing.
Image 21.5 x 15.5 cm (8.5 x 6.1")
$ 750.00
Order nr. MSMERIAN6532
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Botanical Prints by Matthaeus Merian e-mail:philographikon@t-online.de |
