The Pioneering Travels of ‘That curious person, Madam Maria Sibylla Merian’

Article by Hannah Lyons. Edited by Marie Stirling. Additional research by Ellie Veryard.

“I collected all the caterpillars I could find in order to study their metamorphosis. I therefore withdrew from society and devoted myself to these investigations.”

Maria Sibylla Merian, aged 13

In 1699 the botanical artist and naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian found herself at Europe’s busiest and most flourishing port, Amsterdam. At the age of fifty-two shewas waiting to board a ship that would take her from her home in the Netherlandsto the Dutch colony of Surinam, South America. Here Merian would travel around the sugar colony for a further two years, sketching the transformations of local plants, animals and insects in preparation for her greatest work, Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium. In this golden age of discovery Merian would not only project herself onto the burgeoning scientific platform but she would also start the unprecedented movement of women travelling to, and exploring, the empirical colonies.

Before the expedition Merian had established herself as a celebrated entomologist and scientific illustrator. Her early career, that of painting and documenting, amongst other things, the lifecycle of caterpillars and plants, had attracted the attention of many late seventeenth century scholars. In Surinam, despite the torments of local planters who ‘mocked [me] for seeking anything but sugar in the country’, Merian observed and documented the process of metamorphosis, contradicting the contemporary notion that insects were ‘born of mud’ and were the product of the devil. She included detailed drawings of the processes alongside her notes, thus allowing a wider audience to understand the lifecycle and evolution of insects and plants. Unfortunately, in 1701, whilst studying in the jungle Merian contracted yellow fever; her search was cut short and she had to return to Amsterdam. However, Merian ensured that she did not leave empty handed. She managed to fit caterpillars, butterflies, hummingbirds, toads and a variety of South American bugs into her luggage.

Merian published her lavishly illustrated Metamorphosis in 1705, securing her role as one of the greatest artist-naturalists of the eighteenth century. Her expedition was a highly unusual endeavor for women at the turn of the eighteenth century; very few women had travelled to a foreign colony in the pursuit of science. Previous travels to the colonies had been solely the work of men, usually those who had been granted royal permission to explore, document and settle. The fact that a woman was travelling to a colony resulted in many eighteenth century eyebrows being raised; for a woman to travel in the pursuit of science was downright sensational.

Merian’s scholarly and artistic pieces attracted the attention of George III, then the Prince of Wales. In 1755, thirty-eight years after her death, George purchased 93 of her watercolors, many of which still remain in the Royal Collection. However, it is only recently that Merian’s travels and contributions to ecology have been revisited and her fantastic scholarly works acknowledged. In 2008 an exhibition organised by Sir David Attenborough entitled Amazing Rare Things: The Art of Natural History in the Age of Discovery opened at Buckingham Palace. This exhibition showcased and celebrated a variety of Merian’s watercolours. Interested parties can also visit Guilding the Lily: The Role of the Flower in Georgian Decorative Art which will open on April 1st at Fairfax House, York.

Maria Sybilla Merian’s exquisite sketches are crucial in allowing us an insight into the early eighteenth century study of plants and insects. Not only do these watercolours and accompanying notes contribute to the field of ecology, they also celebrate the eighteenth century fusion of art and science. Remarkably this fusion was instigated and explored by a woman and would have a great impact on later Georgian artistic decoration. Merian’s unprecedented travel to the colony of Surinam was pioneering. She was a woman who, defying the obstacles of her sex, hoped to comprehend ‘the natural riches of an ever expanding world’.

*****

“In Holland, I noted with much astonishment what beautiful animals came from the East and West Indies ... if here [insects] origin and their reproduction is unknown, it begs the question as to how they transform, starting from caterpillars and chrysalises and so on. All this has, at the same time, led me to undertake a long dreamed of journey to Suriname.” Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium

Merian’s portrait appeared on the German 500DM bank note before the introduction of the Euro. In 2005 a modern research vessel launched in Warnemunde, Germany, was named after her.

Link to Guilding the Lily: The Role of the Flower in Georgian Decorative Art’ on the Fairfax House website: http://www.fairfaxhouse.co.uk/?idno=687&id=70 Disclaimer: We are in no way affiliated with Fairfax House or any of its associates.

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