Maria Merian’s Metamorphosis: The Transformation of Butterflies and Insects

Maria Merian’s Metamorphosis

Throughout history, the stories of remarkable women who defied societal norms are often outnumbered by the narratives of their male counterparts. Maria Merian’s Metamorphosis, published at the beginning of the eighteenth century, is a shining example of a female scientist paving the way for the future of women in science.

Regarded as a cornerstone publication in the field of entymology, Merian’s work as a pioneering artist-naturalist is seen as foundational in the understanding of metamorphosis and the development of scientific documentation.

Maria Sibylla Merian’s Metamorphosis

Discover the trailblazing work of artist-naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian in this beautifully illustrated volume on the life cycle of butterflies and moths.

‘One of the most magnificent works ever produced.’ — Samuel Miller, 1803

‘So fond was she of flowers and insects that it is said they told her all their secrets.’ — H. J. Mozans, 1913

One Woman's Discovery of the Transformation of Butterflies and Insects

What makes Merian’s work so unique is the way in which she recorded her findings. Her magnum opus, Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensis (Metamorphosis of Insects of the Surinam), first published in 1705, embodies the brilliant intersection where art meets science, transcending the boundaries between the two disciplines.

While she was not the first to explore the process of metamorphosis in insects, her work often referred to that of Dutch biologist Jan Swammerdam (1637–1680), Merian was pioneering in her discoveries and documentation style.

Observing her specimens from life rather than dried or preserved, her vibrant illustrations exhibit each insect in question, be it butterfly, moth, ant, or spider, in all stages of metamorphosis, accompanied by its host plant. To elucidate her findings, Merian recorded observations of over 90 insects in written detail, noting their habitat and habits, as well as the uses of the plants and insects to the indigenous people of Suriname, South America.

In a triumph of scientific enquiry and creative expression, each plate in Maria Merian’s Metamorphosis is brimming with life, and the specimens are compositionally staged to evoke a sense of reality. As one of the first in the field to question the relationships between organisms, Merian’s documentation style encapsulated what she saw in nature first-hand in stunning form and colour. It challenged the conclusions drawn by her predecessors, such as Aristotle, actualising the transformative process that the insect undergoes when it evolves from larvae to pupa to full form.

She opposed the idea of spontaneous generation, which was previously theorised by Aristotle and underpinned our understanding of the developmental process in organisms up until the seventeenth century when the likes of Merian and Swammerdam disproved it. The hypothetical theory believed that organisms could develop from non-living matter. It popularised the idea that any change that occurs during an insect’s life cycle is spontaneous and a complete rebirth rather than evolutionary.

‘It has often happened to me that the most beautiful and rare caterpillars transform into the most ordinary creatures, and the plainest caterpillars turn into the most beautiful moths and butterflies.’

—Maria Merian’s Metamorphosis, 1705

By observing her specimens in real-time, rather than relying on those preserved, Merian’s work captured the full development of each species through all stages of metamorphosis, revealing the cyclical nature of life in the process.

Her brilliant illustrations stepped away from the traditionally static scientific drawings that showed individual specimens alone akin to their preserved state, arranged as if pinned to the page. Her innovative technique revolutionised the genre of natural history illustration, setting a new standard for botanical and ecological documentation while making headway in the understanding of insect metamorphosis.

First published in 1705, Metamorphosis of Insects of the Surinam was printed as an elephant folio, reaching over half a metre in size. This methodology was intended to present Merian’s studies as close to life-size as possible, because at the time such illustrations were deemed more reliable and scientifically accurate. Knowing this, she placed great emphasis on the illustrations themselves, intentionally presenting them as rich pieces of art in their own right, tactfully complimented by her scientific narrative.

Metamorphosis was well received by Merian’s subscribers, being regarded as one of the most magnificent volumes printed in the eighteenth century. It has since found its way into many key libraries around the world. In conjunction with her publication, she produced luxury sets of the plates for purchase, printed and hand-painted on vellum, a set of which were obtained by King George III in 1735. More often than not, however, those working in the field of the natural sciences have dismissed her work due to her lack of formal education on the subject.

‘Of these large black Spiders I have found many on the Guava trees… They are not so large, as some travelers would have us believe. They are entirely covered in hair and have sharp teeth with which they can bite dangerously, injecting fluid into the wounds. Their usual prey are the ants, which they catch when climbing the tree. These spiders, like all others, have eight eyes: with two, they see upwards, with two downwards, with two to the right, and two to the left. In absence of Ants, they also eagerly prey on small birds from the nests, and suck all the blood from their bodies.’

—Maria Merian’s Metamorphosis, 1705

Merian has been left off the lists of those deemed pivotal to the development of knowledge in entomology, placing her work at a lower and less esteemed level. Her sources have often been questioned, and the accuracy of her observations has been placed under scrutiny.

In the preface to Metamorphosis, she stated transparently that she utilised the knowledge of the indigenous people of Suriname to obtain any information she was lacking. This was condemned by those in the scientific community at the time, quashing her key role in the passage of information from the New World to Europe. Her stance as a woman during that period also contributed to her work being overlooked due to the commonplace dismissal of female intelligence, particularly in the sciences.

Despite this, Merian’s groundbreaking discoveries showcased throughout her publications have directly influenced the key scientists who followed her. The naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778), for example, references Merian’s work over 130 times throughout his own. He was a pioneer in establishing scientific taxonomies, underpinning the very heart of modern scientific documentation.

Similarly, Merian’s observations and cyclical depiction of the Surinamese bird-eating spider have been evolved and recreated in multiple publications in the centuries since her research. An illustration that features in a nineteenth-century encyclopaedia used by Charles Darwin directly recreates Merian’s original plate, building off her narrative and adapting the image in accordance with the evolution of scientific understanding.

In the worlds of both art and science, Merian’s work stands firm as a shining example of female ingenuity, scientific discovery, and creative expression. This seminal volume sits at the heart of her work in entomology, illuminating the intricacies of the insect metamorphosis that she observed first-hand.

Driven by her interest in the life cycle of butterflies and insects, she discovered plants and insects previously unknown to scholars, documenting their relationship with nature in a way previously unseen. She built a stunning exposition of entomological knowledge, which is nothing short of revolutionary

Discover Maria Sibylla Merian's Metamorphosis

Originally published in 1705, Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensis documents Merian’s research expedition to Suriname in 1699. Over the period of two years, the German naturalist observed many South American butterflies and moths, meticulously recording her findings in a series of 60 stunning full-plate illustrations.

Her groundbreaking entomological observations, coupled with her unique artworks, emphasise her invaluable role as a pioneering woman in science.