Merian (German, Spanish, French, English)

Curious, courageous and immensely talented, Maria Sibylla Merian lived a hugely unconventional life for the 17th century. Brought up in a family of artists, aged fifty-two, her interest in exotic butterflies led her to voyage to Suriname in South America. Her meticulous studies of the life cycles of insects made her a pioneer of modern entomology.