Discover the work of artist-naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian in this beautifully illustrated volume, its sixty full-plate colour engravings tracing the life cycle of butterflies and moths of South America.
Originally published in 1705, Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium records Merian's research expedition to Suriname in 1699. Her groundbreaking work documenting the transformation of insects yielded a wealth of scientific discoveries, captured vividly in richly detailed illustrations – results as beautiful as they are exact. Each plate is composed like a still life yet observed at specimen level: caterpillar, chrysalis, and emerged adult, arranged together with the very plant they feed on.
Over an expedition of almost two years, the German naturalist observed many native insects first hand and meticulously recorded her findings in the field, in a way that had not been done before. At a time when few women engaged in scientific study, her work challenged prevailing ideas about spontaneous generation and helped lay the foundations of modern entomology. Today, she is celebrated as one of the earliest women in entomology, pioneering in her discoveries and in her style of natural history illustration.
This edition reproduces Merian's plates in their original colour and detail, accompanied by written extracts from the original volume. It celebrates the enduring legacy of her work as an artist-naturalist and honours her as a key figure in the history of women in science.
Book Features:
- Sixty full-plate facsimile prints from Maria Sibylla Merian's 1705 Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium.
- Each illustration displaying South American butterflies, moths, and their host plants.
- Merian was one of the first naturalists to study insect life cycles in the field, on a self-funded expedition to Suriname.
- A landmark of natural history illustration, and one of the first books to show insects with the plants they lived on.
- A unique gift and coffee table book for artists, naturalists, and lovers of botanical art.