Description
Maria Sibylla Merian's Histoire des Insectes de l'Europe
This exquisite, highly sought after entomology engraving is from Maria Sibylla Merian's work Histoire des Insectes de l'Europe. The work was published in Amsterdam in 1730 by Jean Frederic Bernard.
Merian, the daughter of Mattheaus Merian, found her interest early in life when she began studying entomology at the young age of 13. Her interest and talents paid off as she is known as one of the most remarkable naturalists of the 17th and 18th centuries, and many of her illustrations ended up in the hands of Tsar Peter the Great. "The work of these years consisted of both scientific and artistic activity: Merian collected and raised insects, fed them with their host plants, observed them, described and drew their metamorphoses from egg to caterpillar and from pupa to butterfly imago. She then compiled her individual observations and studies in pictorial compositions" (Maria Sibylla Merian, Artist and Naturalist 1647-1717, p. 103).
The prints are on fine paper measuring approximately 6 3/4" by 9 3/4", the size varies slightly.