Lifecycle of the night peacock butterfly

workshop of Maria Sibylla Merian, after 1679

Painted on vellum, this depiction may be by Merian’s youngest daughter, Dorothea Maria Gsell. She worked in her mother’s studio, travelled with her to Suriname, and eventually moved to St Petersburg at the invitation of Tsar Peter the Great. There she taught at the Academy of Sciences and was keeper of the natural history collections.

  • Artwork typedrawing
  • Object numberRP-T-1946-73
  • Dimensionsheight 192 mm x width 155 mm
  • Physical characteristicsopaque and transparent watercolour, over traces of graphite, on vellum

Identification

  • Title(s)

    • Lifecycle of the night peacock butterfly
    • Metamorphosis of a Small Emperor Moth

  • Object type

  • Object number

    RP-T-1946-73

  • Description

    Tak met zoete kers met de metamorfose van een rups naar een vlinder.

  • Part of catalogue

Creation

  • Creation

    • draftsman (artist): workshop of Maria Sibylla Merian
    • draftsman (artist): attributed to Dorothea Maria Gsell

  • Dating

    after 1679

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Material and technique

  • Physical description

    opaque and transparent watercolour, over traces of graphite, on vellum

  • Dimensions

    height 192 mm x width 155 mm

Explanatory note

  • Corresponderend met plaat 23 van Rupsenboek I.

This work is about

  • Subject

Exhibitions

Acquisition and rights

  • Acquisition

    purchase 1946

  • Copyright

    Public domain

  • Provenance

    …; from the dealer Bernard Houthakker, fl. 200, to the museum (L. 2228), 1946

  • Remarks

    Please note that this provenance was formulated with a special focus on provenance research for the years 1933-45 and could therefore be incomplete. There may be more (mostly earlier) provenance information known in the museum. In case this item has an uncertain or incomplete provenance for the years 1933-45, the Rijksmuseum welcomes information and assistance in the investigation and clarification of the provenance of all works during that era.

Documentation

Persistent URL

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