MARIA SIBYLLA MERIAN (1647-1717)
Branch of Seville Orange with Rothschildia moth
1702-03RCIN 921209
Merian described this beautiful moth as having wings ‘like a piece of Moscow glass’, referring to the mineral mica which is transparent in thin layers, like the pale sections on the moth’s wings. She was impressed with the strong silk produced by the caterpillars, and sent some back to Amsterdam in the hope that she could encourage the commercial breeding of the moth.