Maria Sybilla Merian’s Metamorphosis of a Small Emperor Moth on a Damson Plum
Getty Conversations


A conversation with Dr. Stephanie Schrader, Curator, J. Paul Getty Museum and Dr. Beth Harris, Executive Director, Smarthistory in front of Metamorphosis of a Small Emperor Moth on a Damson Plum, plate 13 of the Caterpillar Book, 1679, Maria Sybilla Merian. Translucent and opaque watercolor over counterproof print, on parchment, 18.7 x 14.9 cm. Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Based on her careful observation, Maria Sibylla Merian systematically illustrated different stages of the insect’s development: young brown caterpillar and mature green caterpillar, spun cocoon and glistening pupa, and, hovering above, an adult moth. Merian took special care to describe each element in vivid detail, using vibrant and varied colors of green to capture the individual leaves of the tree as early beginnings of a scientific drawing.

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Additional resources

Explore a copy of the Caterpillar Book from the Heidelberg University Library.

Maria Sibylla Merian, Der Raupen wunderbare Verwandlung und sonderbare Blumennahrung, vol. 1 (Nuremberg: 1679).


Smarthistory images for teaching and learning:

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Cite this page as: Dr. Stephanie Schrader and Dr. Beth Harris, "Maria Sybilla Merian’s Metamorphosis of a Small Emperor Moth on a Damson Plum
Getty Conversations," in Smarthistory, May 17, 2023, accessed March 19, 2024, https://smarthistory.org/maria-sybilla-merians-metamorphosis-of-a-small-emperor-moth-on-a-damson-plumgetty-conversations/.