Medlar
1719
Maria Sibylla Merian was a scientific rockstar long before the term existed, and this plate—engraved by J. Hoyer for a 1719 French edition of her work—proves why. She uses a simple branch of a medlar tree (labeled 'Neflier') as a stage for nature's greatest magic trick: metamorphosis. You can see the entire life cycle playing out in vivid detail: a spiky, jewel-toned caterpillar munching on a leaf, a textured chrysalis hanging below, and two stunning adult butterflies taking flight, one iridescent blue and the other adorned with peacock-like eye spots. At a time when most people believed insects spontaneously generated from mud, Merian was out here meticulously documenting their actual life cycles, changing science forever.
- Technique
- Hand-colored engraving
- Material
- Paper
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