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Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium 1705

53.0 x 4.0 cm (book measurement (inventory)) | RCIN 1085787

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, . . . tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, . . . omnia in America ad vivum . . . / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian 1705

©

Description

Maria Sibylla Merian travelled in 1699 with her younger daughter to Suriname in northern South America, to study the flora and fauna. The resulting natural history plates were published in Amsterdam in 1705, at her own expense. This volume was acquired for the newly founded Royal Library during the reign of King William IV.

This is a rare counterproof edition of Merian’s Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium, with the accompanying text in Latin. The plates were coloured by Merian and her daughters with care to replicate the colours of the insects depicted. Merian dedicated her publication ‘to all lovers and investigators of nature’. The volume is full leather bound with brown calf, heavily tooled with gold.

Provenance

From the collection of the botanist William Forsyth. Acquired by William IV following Forsyth's death in 1835.
People involved

Creator(s)

Search the collection Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
(author)

After
Search the collection Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
(illustrator)

Search the collection Amsterdam : Maria Sibylla Merian
(publisher)

Search the collection Amsterdam : Gerard Valk
(printer)

Acquirer(s)

Search the collection View the person page William IV, King of the United Kingdom (1765-1837)
Physical properties

Measurements

53.0 x 4.0 cm (book measurement (inventory))
Groupings
Category
Books
Object type(s)
printed & manuscript material
books
book: full leather bound
book: full leather bound in calf
book: full leather bound in brown calf
book: binding
book: binding with gold tooling
book: all edges gilt
Subject(s)
Natural Sciences & Mathematics
Natural history
Biological sciences
Zoology
Animals
Insects
Butterflies & Moths
Caterpillars
Places
America (continent)
South America
Suriname
References

Alternative title(s)

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, ... tum etiam generatio ranarum, busonum rariorum, ... omnia in America ad vivum ... / picta atque descripta per Marian Sibyllam Merian

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