Maria Sybilla Merian. Pl. XCIV. Erucarum Ortus... Amsterdam: J. Oosterwyck, 1718. $150.00

Plate XCIV

Maria Sybilla Merian was the daughter of the noted Dutch mapmaker and publisher Mattheaus Merian. As a young girl she developed an interest in natural history and particularly entomology. She collected and raised insects, fed them and observed their habitats, drew their metamorphoses from egg to caterpillar and from pupa to butterfly and she recorded these observations in her art. Her passion for the study of insects and her skills as an artist cause her to be known as one of the most remarkable naturalists of the 17^th and 18^th centuries. According to Sir Kenneth Clark, her etchings were used by Dutch flower painters.

10 ½ x 6 ¾ inches, sheet.
6 x 4 ¼ inches, plate.
Very good condition with light mat staining in margin.