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Maria Sibylla Merian : “Giant Silk Moth on a Purple Coral Tree” (1705)

Museum Quality Giclée on Fine Art Paper

  • Matte Finish does not pick up glare from interior lighting
  • Smooth Surface maximizes sharpness and preserves detail
  • Accent Borders display the artwork uncropped and ready to mat
  • In-house Printing assures artistic quality standards

Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium, or Insects of Surinam, was landmark work by the scientific illustrator and naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian. Merian grew up under the artistic influence of her stepfather, the German still life painter Jacob Marrel, and his pupil, Abraham Mignon. Both were significant figures in the golden age of flower painting who, like their contemporaries, frequently populated their still lifes with insects and spiders — but for Merian these small flourishes took on greater significance; their strange metamorphoses unlocked new worlds. She recalled of her youth that:

“I spent my time investigating insects. At the beginning, I started with silk worms in my home town of Frankfurt. I realized that other caterpillars produced beautiful butterflies and moths, and that silkworms did the same. This led me to collect all of the caterpillars I could find in order to see how they changed.”

Merian published her first book of natural history illustrations at the age of 28 and, fascinated by the “beautiful animals” she had observed in Dutch collections, undertook an expedition to the South American colony of Surinam, where she documented the life cycles of some 186 insect species; their habitats, habits and uses to indigenous people. In an era when it widely imagined that insects were “born of mud” by spontaneous generation, her direct observations altered Europe’s basic understanding of the insect kingdom and lit the path to modern entomology. More recently, her work having entered a period of rediscovery, she has been honored on currency, postage stamps, and in a 2013 Google Doodle.

Product Information

Expect crisp detail and vivid color from our giclée process fine art prints. We use archival pigment inks on cotton fiber paper to achieve a wide color gamut, deep blacks and beautiful tonal transitions. Unlike posters, they will not fade or yellow, but maintain their original quality for as long as you own them.

How to Frame

Historical artworks were produced in whatever shapes and sizes best suited the artists and their patrons, and these rarely correspond to the proportions of modern, mass-produced frames. Most reproductions sold on the web are cropped to an arbitrary standard, compromising the integrity of the original artwork. We solve this by using accent borders to make up any differences in proportion.

Framing may be as simple as inserting the print into a standard size frame with the borders showing. In many cases, our customers choose to have them matted. Borders allow space for framers to mount the print while covering little, if any, of the artwork. Our images are sized to provide desirable mat widths in common frames.

Sizes 9” x 12”, 12” x 16”, and 16” x 20” are designed to be matted in larger frames, such as 11” x 14”, 16” x 20” and 20” x 24”, respectively. Larger prints may be matted in frames of equal size, the borders corresponding to the shape of the mat. Where the artwork is unusually square or narrow, other sizes may be preferred.

If our sizing does not meet your requirements, we provide customization free of charge. Please contact us to discuss the details.

Shipping and Returns

All orders ship within one business day. The following services are available at checkout:

United States
 
Shipping Class Price Estimated Delivery Window
USPS First Class Parcel Free 3 – 5 business days
USPS Priority Mail $3.99 2 – 4 business days
USPS Priority Mail Express $29.99 1 – 3 days, guaranteed
Canada *
 
Shipping Class Price Estimated Delivery Window
USPS First Class International $11.99 1 – 3 weeks
USPS Priority Mail Express $56.99 3 – 5 business days
International, Excluding Canada *
 
Shipping Class Price Estimated Delivery Window
USPS First Class International $17.99 1 – 4 weeks
USPS Priority Mail Express $62.99 3 – 5 business days

* International orders may be subject to import taxes at time of delivery.

Returns Policy

If you are unhappy with your order for any reason, you are welcome to return it within 60 days for a full refund. Please contact us and return your item(s) to: The Ibis 809 Grant Street Endicott, NY 13760

Your return will be processed on receipt.
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