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Half height banner for Maria Merian exhibition, showing a butterfly
This exhibition is in the past. View our current exhibitions.
MARIA SIBYLLA MERIAN (1647-1717)

Branch of Water Lemon with Snout Moth, Brush-Footed Butterfly larva and Flag-Footed Bug

1702-03

RCIN 921175

Merian was fascinated by the fragility of the Flag-Footed Bug (Anisoscelis foliacea, near the fruit at the bottom), describing how ‘its legs are very delicate and fall off when touched, no matter how gently’. This characteristic would have made collecting a specimen to record extremely difficult, yet Merian managed to do so and included it in this elegant composition.

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