Maria Sibylla Merian

Received the 2024 Annual Literature Award of the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries for a significant contribution to the literature of botany and horticulture.

An examination of Maria Sibylla Merian's pioneering work on the reproduction and development of insects, the methods and materials she used for her work, and her widespread influence on the history of art and science.

The revolutionary artist and naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) has come into the spotlight in recent years. The life and work of this German-born woman, who would later settle in the Netherlands, has been studied internationally by entomologists, botanists and historians and are a source of inspiration for contemporary artists and writers. In 2016, Lannoo Publishers, in collaboration with the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, republished her masterpiece ‘Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium’ as a facsimile. This well-illustrated book assembles the most recent scientific knowledge about this remarkable woman. The authors examine, among other things, Merian's pioneering work on the reproduction and development of insects, the methods and materials she used for her work, her remarkable journey to Suriname, her network of family, friends and patrons and her widespread influence on the history of art and science. Her work is compared to that of early modern and contemporary artists and scientists.