Maria Sibylla Merian - Illustrator

Born in Germany of Swiss and Dutch ancestry, her botanical illustrations of flowers and insects are as notable as scientific studies as they are as art. She left her husband to join a religious community of Labadists, later moved to Amsterdam and in 1699, she traveled to Suriname where she wrote and illustrated the book, Metamorphosis.

Women Artists: Renaissance and Baroque Painters
On this site: an overview of women painters of the 16th-17th centuries, including a list of many of the female painters of the period.

Maria Sibylla Merian
An illustrated biography which includes links to many illustrations from Merian's botanical illustrations.

Maria Sibylla Merian
A well-illustrated profile of Merian's work, from an exhibit at Johns Hopkins University.

Maria Sibylla Merian
A biography of Merian, stressing her humility.

Maria Sibylla Merian
Biography of the German naturalist and artist, from the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Alligator and Snake
Click on the thumbnail image to see the larger versions of these paintings - portraits and nature illustrations. Includes two portraits, "Alligator and Snake," "Carnations and Butterflies," "Plant and Bugs" and "Portrait."

The Art of Maria Sibylla Merian
An image of a painting and an engraving by Maria Sibylla Merian, showing similarities and differences. An enlargement and a detail of the painting are linked.

Artist Portfolio
First of two pages of images from plates of nature illustrations by Maria Sibylla Merian.

Discuss in my forum

Women's History