Guavas
1719
Maria Sibylla Merian was a scientific rockstar who traveled to the jungles of Surinam at age 52 to study bugs, and this vibrant print is the result. Here, she maps out the entire life cycle of insects feasting on a guava branch, from a fuzzy pink caterpillar munching on leaves to a delicate blue-and-white butterfly taking flight. She didn't just paint pretty pictures; she showed how nature actually works, documenting exactly which bugs eat which plants long before modern ecology existed.
- Technique
- Hand-colored engraving
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