Getting started with the collection:
Scarlet Ibis with an Egg
attributed to Dorothea Maria Gsell, 1699 - 1701
Dorothea Graff depicted this bird in Suriname, where she spent two years with her mother Maria Sibylla Merian observing and drawing native flora and fauna. An unidentified inscription incorrectly names the bird a flamingo. Graff portrayed the ibis in profile, as was customary in scientific illustrations at the time. She achieved the rich texture of the feathers by using a subtle tonal range and various brushstrokes.
- Artwork typedrawing
- Object numberRP-T-1977-16
- Dimensionsheight 421 mm x width 308 mm
- Physical characteristicsopaque and transparent watercolour, over traces of graphite, on vellum