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WORKSHOP OF MARIA SIBYLLA MERIAN (1647-1717)
Helichrysum with Castnid Moth and Harlequin Beetle
c.1705?RCIN 921221
Here the Harlequin Beetle (Acrocinus longimanus) has been copied from the illustration in the Metamorphosis, but placed precariously on a sprig of Helichrysum, which does not occur in South America. Though the drawing does not meet Merian’s stringent scientific standards, it may have appealed to an art collector, who wanted something in Merian’s style to paste into an album.