Ask Katy Hessel: Marian Sibylla Merian #rijksmuseum

When did you last stop to really observe something? 🔍 In honour of Women's month, we asked art historian Katy Hessel to answer your questions about Maria Sibylla Merian. You asked: How did Maria Sibylla Merian become both an artist and a scientist? What did her process actually look like? Merian grew up in 17th-century Frankfurt, trained by her flower-painter stepfather, but drawn above all to caterpillars, insects, and plants. She spent hours observing them, drawing each stage of metamorphosis in precise detail. After moving to Amsterdam with her daughters in 1691, she sailed to Suriname in 1699 - one of the first European voyages for scientific fieldwork - documenting tropical species unknown to Europe. She didn't work alone: Indigenous people and enslaved individuals collected specimens and shared knowledge that shaped her research. The result was her now-famous Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium. 📖 Maria Sibylla Merian, Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, 1705, with support of the VriendenLoterij and through Rijksmuseum Fonds: Vrouwen van het Rijksmuseum Fonds, the Estate of S.L.R. Zimmerman-Taylor, the Joost and Carin Scholten Fonds, and M.C.E. Aarts.