1-157-239 - Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage-Images

Maria Sibylla Merian, German naturalist and flower painter. Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) distinguished herself with her illustrations of plants, insects and animals drawn from life. In 1700, when aged 52, she travelled to Surinam in South America, publishing the illustrations of the plants and insects she saw in Metamorphosis Insectarum Surinamensium in 1705. Her work was admired by prominent naturalists such as Hans Sloane and Linnaeus, as well as the Emperor Peter the Great of Russia, who purchased many of her paintings.