In 1699, the German artist and entomologist Maria Sibylla Merian set sail with her youngest daughter for Suriname in South America.  There she would spend two years studying the animals and plants she encountered, leading to the publication of the lavishly illustrated  Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium (The Metamorphosis of the Insects of Suriname), which brought the wonders of Suriname to Europe. 

Maria Merian's Butterflies tells the artist’s extraordinary story through her works acquired by George III and now in the Royal Collection.  These include the luxury versions of the plates from the Metamorphosis, partially printed and then hand-painted on vellum by Merian herself.