MARIA SIBILLA MERIAN. 21 



leave the country. In consequence of this separa- 

 tion, the lady never assumed her hushand's name in 

 any of her publications, hut hecame known to the 

 public hy her maiden appellation. After this event, 

 experiencing perhaps the expediency of having some 

 means of emolument in addition to her more habi- 

 tual occupation, she is said to have employed a 

 portion of her time in executing pieces of em- 

 broidery; and it is asserted that she handled her 

 needle with as much skill as she did her pencil, her 

 productions being distinguished by an elegance and 

 delicacy of execution which made them resemble 

 paintings. In order to encourage others of her sex 

 to cultivate this elegant accomplishment, she pub- 

 lished a book of designs, which she named " The 

 New Book of Flowers." 



The resolution which she had formed to illustrate 

 by her pencil the appearance and metamorphoses 

 of insects, was, however, by no means forgotten. 

 On the contrary, so zealous was she in the prosecu- 

 tion of this object, that, according to her own account, 

 she abandoned for a time all kind of company, and 

 applied herself exclusively to painting insects, in 

 order that she might, if possible, be enabled to 

 represent them with sufficient accuracy to give 

 satisfaction to natural philosophers.* The result of 

 her labours in this department appeared in 1679. 

 in a volume published at Nuremberg, entitled " Eru- 

 carum ortus, alimenta, et paradoxa metamorphosis." 

 the plates engraved by herself. Two omer parts 

 * Pref. to Insects of Surinam. 



