Changing the Nature of Science and Art: Maria Sibylla Merian

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) integrated art and scientific observation, documenting the process of metamorphosis through close observation of butterflies and moths.

Her art has been used by scientists, embroiderers and other textile artists, and her journals continue to be researched by scientists, historians and others to further the understanding of entomology.

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Instructor: Cyrene Slegona

Cyrene grew up in Lincolnville and now lives in Belfast. She comes from a family of naturalists and organic gardeners. She is a senior college instructor at Belfast and Augusta, a Maine Master Naturalist and life member of the Maine Entomological Society. She was introduced to Maria Sibylla Merian through an exhibit of her work in Washington DC when little information about her was accessible. Merian's scientific and artistic achievements have gained wider prominence and placed her in the forefront of women artists of the world and entomological studies.

Image credit: By Maria Sibylla Merian - "Das kleine Buch der Tropenwunder", Insel Verlag, Leipzig Wiesbaden 1954, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3319968