Art Exhibition: "Maria Sibylla Merian-Between Art and Science"
Eleanor D. Wilson Museum 8009 Fishburn Dr, Roanoke, Virginia
Merian (Dutch, b. Germany, 1647-1717) led a fascinating life of travel and scientific pursuits, making important contributions to botany, entomology, and what we now call the field of ecology. By the time she was 32, she had published <em>The Wondrous Transformation of Caterpillars</em>. At age 52, she traveled to the northwest coast of South America, to Surinam, then a Dutch colony, where she spent two years observing, collecting, recording, and documenting plants and the life cycles of the exotic insects of that country. The result was <em>Metamorphoses insectorium Surinamensium</em>, a lavish folio edition featuring 60 beautifully hand-colored copperplate engravings. This exhibition presents 10 of her works, all of which have been loaned by Arader Galleries, New York and Philadelphia. Through December 11.
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