MARIA SIBILLA MERIAN. 
31 
family acquired considerable distinction by tbeir 
talents and attainments. Besides rivaling her mo- 
ther in the use of the pencil, the youngest daughter, 
Dorothea Maria, ■was rcmai'kable 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, Vouet, Lesiieur, Sacchi, and Charleo Ma- 
ratti. These he had the capacity to turn to such 
good accoimt, that he became one of the most 
popular portrait painters in Germany, bemg em- 
ployed by the emperor and members of the com-t, 
who loaded him with honours and presents. He 
was entrusted ndth the management of public affairs 
at Frankfort, and raised to the rank of an aullc 
coimsellor. The most celebrated of his nimierous 
paintings is the Artemisia, and the portrait of Pierre 
Serini, who was beheaded in 1671. Of these pro- 
ductions it has been said, that the}' are eqiud 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 “ Jletamoiqffiosis Insectorum Surinamensium, 
in qua emese et vermes ad vhTun delineantur et 
describuntur,” &c . ; but in the subsequent editions, 
containing twelve additional plates, the title ■was 
slightly changed. In the edition printed at the 
