MARIA SIBILLA MERIAN. 31 



family acquired considerable distinction by their 

 talents and attainments. Besides rivaling her mo- 

 ther in the use of the pencil, the youngest daughter, 

 Dorothea Maria, was remarkable for possessing an 

 extensive knowledge of the Hebrew language. Her 

 brother, like most of her other relations, devoted 

 himself to painting, and had the singular advantage 

 to enjoy the occasional instructions of Vandyke, 

 Rubens, Youet, Lesiieur, Sacchi, and Charleo Ma- 

 ratti. These he had the capacity to turn to such 

 good account, that he became one of the most 

 popular portrait painters in Germany, being em- 

 ployed by the emperor and members of the court, 

 who loaded him with honours and presents. He 

 was entrusted with the management of public affairs 

 at Frankfort, and raised to the rank of an aulic 

 counsellor. The most celebrated of his numerous 

 paintings is the Artemisia, and the portrait of Pierre 

 Serini, who was beheaded in 1671. Of these pro- 

 ductions it has been said, that they are equal to the 

 highest efforts of Rembrandt and Rubens ; a degree 

 of praise which may readily be admitted to be over- 

 charged, but which may be assumed as sufficient 

 proof that they possessed merits of a very high 

 order. 



Madam Merian's great work was originally en- 

 titled " Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium, 

 in qua erucaa et vermes ad vivum delineantur et 

 describuntur," &c. ; but in the subsequent editions, 

 containing twelve additional plates, the title was 

 slightly changed. In the edition printed at the 



