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Art & Nature Before Audubon: A Closer Look at Maria Sibylla Merian
Art & Nature Before Audubon: A Closer Look at Maria Sibylla Merian
More than 150 years before Audubon published his images of birds in their natural habitat, Maria Sibylla Merian (German, 1647-1717) published the first natural history book pairing ecologically related flora and fauna.
Her beautiful images of plants and insects has led history to label her as an artist who painted and etched natural history subjects. Although she was a skilled artist, she was also the first person to spend decades studying the relationships of insects and plants.
Merian researched, wrote, illustrated and published several books that revolutionized the study and depictions of nature. In this talk, Dr. Kay Etheridge will discuss Merian’s work in comparison to that of those who followed her, including that of other women.
Art & Nature Before Audubon: A Closer Look at Maria Sibylla Merian
presented by Dr. Kay Etheridge
Thursday, February 6, 2025
6:00 PM–7:00 PM
Marly Room
Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg
255 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg FL 33701
Free for MFA Members; $15 for Not-Yet-Members (Youth 17 and under are Free!)*
*Program ticket includes Art After Dark admission from 5:00 PM–8:00 PM! Arrive early or stay late to explore the MFA Collection Galleries, Special Exhibitions, and MFA Shop!
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ABOUT DR. KAY ETHERIDGE
Dr. Kay Etheridge is Professor of Biology Emeritus at Gettysburg College and a founding editor of the Brill book series, Emergence of Natural History. Her publications in physiology and ecology include studies on tropical bats, manatees, lizards, and salamanders. Her current scholarship centers on the integration of natural history images and the history of biology.
Her most recent publications examine the biological contributions of naturalist/artist Maria Sibylla Merian, e.g. the 2021 book, The Flowering of Ecology: Maria Sibylla Merian’s Caterpillar Book.
Photo Credits
Jacob Marrel (German, 1613–1681), Portrait of Maria Sibylla Merian, 1679, Oil on canvas, modernly attached on the left and mounted on wood fibreboard, 59 x 50.5 cm, Kunstmuseum Basel, Gift from Louise Bachofen-Burckhardt 1904, Inv. 436
Maria Sibylla Merian (German, 1647-1717), Water Hyacinth with Marbled or Veined Tree-Frogs and Giant Water-Bugs, 1702-1703, Plate 56, Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium, Watercolor, Royal Collection Trust, UK, London, United Kingdom
