Plantain with Metamorphosis of the Brigh-Line Brown-Eye after 1679
mariasibyllamerian
stadelmuseum
drawing, gouache
drawing
egg art
baroque
gouache
possibly oil pastel
german
stoneware
ceramic
food art
14_17th-century
watercolour bleed
watercolour illustration
botanical art
watercolor
warm toned green
"Plantain with Metamorphosis of the Brigh-Line Brown-Eye" is a detailed scientific illustration created by renowned naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian after 1679. Merian was a pioneer in the field of entomological art, documenting the life cycles of insects with meticulous accuracy. This particular work showcases a plantain plant with a caterpillar, chrysalis, and adult moth, demonstrating the stages of the insect's transformation. Merian's exquisite watercolors and botanical precision have solidified her legacy as a pioneering figure in the history of natural science illustration.
Comments
In the text of the Caterpillar Book, published in 1679, Maria Sibylla Merian expressed her pleasure in the fact that, thanks to the pretty green caterpillar – which is difficult to discern at first sight –, she had the opportunity to include an unremarkable weed such as a plantain in her book. In this respect, her book differs from the seventeenth-century florilegia and their concern with splendour and luxury. Yet despite her matter-of-fact scientific approach, she did not dispense with high artistic standards in her depiction of the plant. Her drawings are always scientific illustrations and artworks in one.
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